SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
College Bound Academy
While academics are at the core of its mission, College Bound Academy deeply values discipline, kindness, and the genuine joy of learning.
Located in Tulsa, College Bound Academy (CBA) is a standout tuition-free public charter school with two campuses dedicated to serving students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. From the very first day, students begin their journey toward success in education and the path of their chosen careers.
CBA has made significant strides in addressing the needs of English Learners, with Spanish-speaking staff across all grade levels, as well as within their administration and family services. Their dedication also extends to those with special education needs, ensuring every student receives the attention and resources they deserve.
Its vision was clear: to set every scholar on a path that leads them to the school of their choice and to ensure they thrive in their future. But, despite all these accomplishments, College Bound Academy wasn't sharing the full potential of its story.
Like many schools, CBA had a site built on a free online platform. Without staff dedicated to maintaining the site, its original structure and design quickly fell apart, as did its functionality. Moving to Finalsite’s content management system, Composer, opened a new future of storytelling for the bustling charter school.
“With Finalsite,” Thomas Golden, College Bound Academy's director of external affairs, said, “we were looking for an attractive, easy-to-navigate site for our families and a streamlined backend for staff.”
At a Glance
College Bound Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school serving grades pre-kindergarten through 8th grade with two campuses in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Switching providers allowed CBA to provide an attractive site and web presence that families and staff would be proud of. “We wanted a site where families can quickly find the information they need,” Golden added. “We wanted to be able to quickly update information for families, and we needed a simple backend that staff can quickly learn to use.”
Like College Bound Academy’s site, a Finalsite Theme design can be a simple but elegant option for schools working with fewer resources, small teams, or the need to launch a website quickly. For CBA, it was a great solution and an opportunity to grow its online presence.
“Our project manager and her team were great,” shared Golden, adding that halfway through the deployment process, the school began the process of expanding to another campus, effectively doubling its students and staff in a matter of months. “We had to hit the pause button for a while. But our project manager and her team were very patient and helped us get up and running once we could come up for air.”
"Enrollment and page views have increased, and we can now confidently direct families to our site through marketing efforts knowing that users will actually find what they're looking for.”
THOMAS GOLDEN
DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Since launching its Theme design, College Bound Academy has provided a user experience that not only tells its story better but also allows admin users to make quick site updates without a struggle.
“Finalsite’s Composer is very intuitive, so it’s been easy for staff to quickly pick up, and they feel confident about using it,” Golden said. “If there’s a specific issue, it's always easy to find training or info in the Knowledge Base that addresses the question. Updates can be made in minutes without anyone worrying they'll break the site.”
There is a lot to admire about the charter school’s new site: a streamlined main menu gives easy access to information about family resources, academic programs, admissions, support for the school, and more; pop-out call-to-action buttons offer users an easy route to contact the school, learn more about its mission and programs, or formally start the application process.
The homepage is kept fresh, too, with the latest events and news stories added directly to the homepage through Finalsite’s Post module and calendar integrations. A social media feed pulls the latest posts from Instagram and Facebook to display on its site, helping keep the homepage content updated without duplicating efforts.
“Everyone loves the look of the new site, and they can quickly find the info they need,” Golden said. “Enrollment and page views have increased, and we can now confidently direct families to our site through marketing efforts knowing that users will actually find what they're looking for. With the expansion, we look forward to expanding and refining our site and using other capabilities as we grow.”
Show me the Finalsite Platform!
See for yourself how Finalsite's full suite of tools will save you time and improve your school's online presence!
Request my FREE
website report card
Does your website make a good first impression? Get expert feedback on your school's website sent straight to your inbox!