St. Paul’s Episcopal School

Located in Oakland, California, St. Paul’s is a private K-8 school founded on the belief that students from diverse backgrounds can learn better in collaboration with each other. When other area schools began to promote a similar message, St. Paul’s began to experience a drop in interest and enrollment.

We met with students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni to understand the school’s opportunities. Many parents found St. Paul’s urban setting intimidating, and some expressed concern about academic quality. But the school’s achievements spoke for themselves. By placing curriculum, diversity, and urban setting on equal footing, we defined St. Paul’s as a “learning village,” which extended to their identity and verbal expression. The new brand platform helped the school exceed their enrollment forecast and outperform peer schools in student matriculation.