April was a whirlwind month—an earthquake in the U.S. northeast and the celestial wonder of the solar eclipse certainly kept things interesting. Amidst the shakes and shade, schools around the globe were just as busy going live with the latest website launches and redesigns.

From smaller specialized schools to large districts and private schools across the world, dozens of designs were launched this April. From memorable user experiences to beautiful site designs and engaging content, here’s the latest roundup of inspiring school website designs from Finalsite!

Fryeburg Academy

Fryeburg's website leads with a captivating video reel highlighting its core values and offerings, setting the tone for the user experience about to unfold. As visitors go deeper into the site, they’ll find sections for its academic, student life, arts, and athletics programs, with each section providing a glimpse into the offerings.

Mobile-friendly icons present quick facts that highlight impressive statistics, such as the number of boarding students, math awards, and art programs. While these provide visitors with a snapshot of Fryeburg's achievements, it's the news and events sections that keep visitors informed about the latest happenings.

A standout feature of the site is a creative mountain range motif, drawing inspiration from the school’s scenic surroundings and Fryeburg’s proximity to the White Mountains — a nice aesthetic touch that adds to the overall appeal of the design.

The website's navigation is streamlined and intuitive, making it easy for visitors to find the information they need and guide visitors seamlessly through the site.

An integration with Blackbaud powers calendar content, directories, and athletic schedules, ensuring visitors can access the most up-to-date information at all times.

Take a look at many of the dedicated landing pages for parents, alumni, and Fryeburg’s popular summer program. Here, visitors can learn more about the program, including dates, pricing, and sample daily schedules, while an online form is ready for those interested in expressing their interest.

Ellesmere College

An animated slideshow in the header encourages users to explore various aspects of the school, like its personal support, community, and the confidence it fosters. Upon entering the site, users can navigate to separate sections dedicated to each of the school's three divisions and the history of the school.

The homepage provides a lot: Fast facts and figures provide a snapshot of Ellesmere College's notable achievements and milestones, while student testimonials offer insights into the student experience and the campus environment, providing a personal perspective on boarding life at Ellesmere. Social media integration brings in posts from Facebook and Instagram alongside the latest news and stories from across campus.

The navigation menu provides comprehensive information about admissions, resources for inquiries, applications, and acceptance. The interior pages are designed to be informative yet easily digestible, with call-out text, pull-out quotes, and bullet points that break up the content for readability.

Subtle gradients and iconography complement the royal purple throughout the site in the navigation, smaller design elements, and calls to action.

Key features of the website also include:

• A custom campus map introduces visitors to the buildings and grounds
• Integrated social media displays the latest stories from the school community
• Page notifications ensure users stay up-to-date with the latest announcements and information, front and center

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School

A warm welcome sets the tone, emphasizing the STA’s commitment to creating a community of faith and academic excellence. Dynamic element panels slide in and out, both vertically and horizontally, adding creative depth and dimension to the homepage.

There’s a lot to take in:

• Vibrant imagery brings landing pages to life, offering glimpses into the school's community, campus life, and spiritual offerings
• Dedicated pages for parents and teachers serve as hubs for essential resources and information, streamlining tasks like accessing uniform details, handbooks, volunteering opportunities, and back-to-school guides
• Calendar information is easily accessible, keeping families informed about important dates and events

A user-friendly search feature allows visitors to explore by keywords or access popular sections such as the calendar, directory, and reporting absences, while a panel with expanding images details what else sets STA apart.

Click into the faculty & staff directory to find testimonials providing background into why they love teaching or being part of the school community, which works wonders for bringing the faces of the school to life and creating a sense of connection among visitors.

Enlarged City School District of Middletown

Drone footage showcasing aerial views of schools throughout the district kicks off the district website’s user experience, prompting visitors to explore its various programs, summer initiatives, and important upcoming events within the district. 

Don't miss:

• Mobile-friendly iconography provides easy access to key resources such as school lunches, calendars, athletic schedules, directories, and more.
• District news keeps users informed about the latest happenings, with the ability to filter news by different areas or schools, or search by keywords.
• Upcoming events are prominently featured in a dynamic calendar, allowing users to navigate easily between different events and activities.
• The main navigation menu features district information, resources for the Board of Education, community information for families, and links to athletic and departmental information.
• Weglot provides one-click translation, enabling the site to be translated into multiple languages to accommodate a range of diverse users.

When users look for their specific school, they can seamlessly navigate between the district site and individual school sites. A consistent user experience is delivered across the board, and with a wealth of resources and information available, there’s plenty to explore!

Daegu International School

Established in 2010, Korea’s Daegu International School prides itself on excellence and fostering global citizenship through standout programs in media, music, visual arts, athletics, and so much more.

Its website features the latest news and events from around the school, providing visitors with a glimpse into the vibrant life of the campus. A comprehensive calendar allows users to preview upcoming events and plan their schedules accordingly, while testimonials from students, parents, faculty, and alumni offer insights into the school community's experiences and achievements.

You’ll notice the inbound marketing strategies at play, with integrated social media feeds showcasing video content from YouTube and posts from Instagram, while the school's viewbook is available to download and provide visitors with more information about DIS.

With its user-friendly design and informative content, Daegu International School’s website showcases its bright future and all the achievements still to come!

Westminster Public Schools

Westminster Public Schools is founded on a competency-based system, which prioritizes personalized learning and celebrates student agency. Vibrant pops of color and animations spotlight the school's systems and programs that educate users about their approach and how it empowers students with essential skills for the future — there’s even an embedded quiz to help users determine if the competency-based system is the right fit for their child. 

Panels highlight recent accomplishments and news stories from across the schools, while a parent portal offers access to important forms, logins, key dates, and information about required documents. 

This fresh approach to engaging prospective students and families offers something different, with a creative, engaging, and fun user experience that encourages engagement. A dedicated panel emphasizes the school's core values, which include a caring, fun, unique, valuable, and innovative approach to education.

You won’t miss the illustrated characters serving as profile images for parents and students, adding a creative, branded touch to the website. Wonderful site!

German International School—New York

GISNY recently rebranded, and this new site brings many of the school’s new visual elements to life! Strong imagery and photography showcase the school's brand and immerse users in the student experience and their multicultural world. 

The website places a significant focus on students and their overall experience, ensuring that everything they need is readily accessible. Numerous design elements and animations breathe life into the content, like splashes of color, subtle animations on hover, and color overlays that add another layer of interactivity to the site.

Profiles from the school community, including students, teachers, parents, and alumni, provide authentic voices that highlight the diverse experiences and perspectives within the school, while social media integrations bring fresh content to the page, keeping visitors informed about the latest happenings.

The homepage offers a comprehensive overview of the school, with the main navigation providing access to information about the school itself, admissions, academics, signature programs, school life, community, and more. Nicely done!

San Jose Unified School District

San Jose Unified School District’s site design features a clean and simple layout, enhanced by pops of orange, blues, greens, and reds that infuse a sense of energy and joy.

The homepage features a prominent calendar and district news section, keeping visitors informed about the latest happenings in the district, while mobile-friendly resources ensure easy navigation for users on various devices.

An Instagram feed showcases recent posts, adding dynamic content to the site while quick links, popular searches, and a keyword search function are there for users to dig a little deeper. Users can also easily access information about the district's dozens of schools through the main navigation and omni menus. 

The website brings a strong sense of community, representing the district's 25,000 students from diverse backgrounds and abilities, all supported by the accessibility features of AudioEye. The integration caters to the diverse browsing preferences and needs of the community, allowing users to adjust contrast, text size, font, letter spacing, and more to enhance accessibility. Lovely site!

Noblesville Schools

Noblesville Schools, a district dedicated to engaging, inspiring, and empowering students, begins its site with a well-produced sizzle reel that showcases aspects and highlights key moments from its different schools.

A grid of resources gives users quick access to popular links, while district news and upcoming events take center stage. A dedicated section explores why the Noblesville Schools system stands out, focusing on its culture, notable statistics, and accomplishments.

The individual school sites maintain a consistent look and feel, with pops of color adding a distinct touch while aligning with the district's branding for a cohesive experience. Overall, the district website offers a well-rounded experience for exploring Noblesville Schools and all the district has to offer.

Congratulations to Noblesville and all the schools and districts for their fantastic new sites!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.