Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about ParentLead.
Both help schools connect prospective families with people who know the school firsthand. PeerPal offers a comprehensive ambassador management platform with multiple communication channels, matching, and outreach tools. ParentLead takes a simpler, more focused approach designed around a school's hidden enrollment funnel problem: families who research anonymously but aren't ready to inquire or schedule a visit. We give those families an easier, no-pressure first step—asking a current parent questions by text. ParentLead automatically makes the connection and includes admissions in the conversation, helping schools identify and engage interested families who might otherwise disappear. Our pricing philosophy is also very different: PeerPal provides customized quotes, compared with our standard, publicly available prices. ParentLead also offers a month-to-month subscription. Our contracts are not multi-year and are not tied to any other system or platform. And we offer a free 90-day trial so schools can see the results before paying.
AI chatbots can be excellent at answering factual questions about tuition, schedules, admissions requirements, and other school information. But choosing a school for your child is fundamentally different from making an ordinary purchase. Parents aren't just looking for information. They're trying to understand the school's culture, its community, and whether their family will belong. Those questions are best answered by people who actually experience the school every day. A chatbot can describe a school's community. A current parent can tell you what it's like to be part of it. ParentLead brings that human perspective into the research process, when families need it most.
Most schools focus on the families they know about — the ones who toured, applied, or at least filled out an inquiry form. But the next best opportunity is the lost families who researched the school and quietly walked away before anyone at the school ever knew they existed (known as the hidden funnel). Engage more of those families, and your enrollment will grow significantly.
As early as possible! Those conversations are a school's best marketing asset. ParentLead makes those parent connections happen as early as possible and we make it remarkably easy, at an affordable price, while giving admissions complete control over the process.
The prospective parent sees an invitation to talk with a current parent and chooses to voluntarily opt in to start things. We then match them to a school-approved, opted-in current parent. As the conversation unfolds, ParentLead's system receives, records, and relays each reply to the other participants. Messages are NOT sent directly from one participant's personal mobile number to another person's. Participants communicate without their personal telephone numbers being disclosed to one another. A transcript of the conversation is retained and made available to the school and participants.
We keep it simple: We match by closest grade level. We also ensure that no current parent volunteer is handling concurrent conversations. The school can set a maximum number of connections per current parent, per week — keeping participation manageable.
ParentLead introduces parents by first name + last name initial in the group text thread. No personal phone numbers are ever shown in messages. Parents can decide what additional information they wish to share in their texts. We inform parents that a school admissions officer is added and that a transcript is shared with the school.
They can start with one. Each one opts in to participate. Schools can invite more current parents to join in 30 seconds. Keep in mind that each volunteer will handle no more than one conversation at a time and the school can set a maximum number of text connections per week.
We include an admissions officer in every group chat we create, but their participation should be limited to engaging only when appropriate. We notify the parents who from the school is added, but that person is generally there only to answer school-specific questions the parent ambassador may not know. In most cases, school representatives do not actively text. We always provide a full transcript of every chat in the dashboard.
Yes. Once each text conversation is closed, the prospective parent is given a link to re-join if they have any later questions. This is important because the prospect can meet another current parent to get a broader view of the school. It also gives admissions more insight because later questions may surface new issues that have come up.
The service is free but standard carrier messaging rates may apply for families texting in — the same as any SMS message they send.
There is a single annual subscription cost based on the school's size: Under 400 students: $2,300; 400-700 students: $3,000; Over 700 students: $4,700. You can also subscribe and pay monthly.
Schools can start at any time in under 30 minutes. Setup involves two steps: (1) inviting at least one current parent to opt in and (2) adding the ParentLead invitation to your school's website. We provide the materials. The program requires no technical skills or IT development work.
We role-play a few text conversations so you can see how easy and non-intrusive the program is and how it works. By hosting the meeting, you get the option to continue with a 90-day free trial so you can see the numbers and quality of conversations completed. If you'd like to continue after that, pay and your subscription continues uninterrupted. If you'd like to end the program at any time, it is as simple as removing the banner from your website.
Yes, and the transcript offers schools the best way to learn what prospective parents are concerned about. The transcripts are emailed at the close of conversations and remain available in the school's dashboard.
Yes. ParentLead is designed for every Pre-K–12 school and every grade configuration. We use a matching algorithm to match on grade bands most relevant to your prospective families' children.
Just ask them. Most are happy to help. We'll give you a link to a 30-second form they can fill out to opt in. Start with just one and add more very easily. You can pause existing current parents on your dashboard and review each participant's connection history.
ParentLead relays messages through its system rather than sending messages directly from one parent’s personal mobile number to the other. Participants are introduced by first name and last initial, and their personal phone numbers are not displayed to one another in the conversation. Parents decide what additional information they choose to share in their messages.
The school chooses which current parents may participate. Admissions is included in each conversation, can follow what is being discussed, can participate when appropriate, and has access to conversation transcripts in the school dashboard. Schools can also pause current parent participants and review their connection history.
Participation begins with an affirmative opt-in. Prospective parents choose to start a conversation, and current parents separately opt in before participating. ParentLead also provides opt-out instructions so participants can stop messages by replying STOP.
Admissions can view the conversations and receives access to transcripts in the school dashboard. This gives the school a record of the questions and concerns raised during each ParentLead conversation and allows admissions to engage when appropriate.
Yes. ParentLead is designed around consent-based texting, participant privacy, and school visibility and control. Because privacy and messaging obligations can vary by school, student population, and jurisdiction, schools should review ParentLead’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and make any legal compliance determination appropriate for their organization.
Simple — schedule a 30-minute meeting for a live internal test. You'll fill out a brief form and we'll meet for the live test.
We are here to help. Email us anytime at help@parentlead.com or join one of our weekly information webinars held every Tuesday at 2:00 PM ET.
Still have questions? We're happy to help.