The Science of Reaching
Students & Parents

SMS Dramatically Outperforms Every Other Channel

The statistics are striking: SMS messages achieve 98% open rates compared to just 20-25% for email—nearly five times higher engagement.

Perhaps most importantly, 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes and 97% within 15 minutes, making SMS the only channel that reliably reaches students and parents in time-sensitive situations.

SchoolStatus analysis of 3.3 million text messages across 15 states found 73% of texts garnered a parent response within 11 minutes. This immediacy transforms communication from hopeful outreach into reliable engagement.

*SchoolStatus, Tatango, Campaign Monitor

🚀 How Hit Em Up Makes This Easy

Send to your entire parent list in 30 seconds:

Hi ::parentname::, this is ::school::. Just a reminder that ::childname::'s parent-teacher conference is tomorrow at ::time::. Reply if you need to reschedule!

::parentname::::childname::::school::::time::

💡 Pro tip: Import your SIS contact list via CSV and reach every parent with one tap.

Summer Melt Prevention: The Landmark Research

"Summer melt"—the phenomenon where college-intending high school graduates fail to matriculate—affects 10-40% of students, with rates highest among low-income and first-generation students.

The landmark Castleman & Page studies showed that 10 personalized text messages sent over summer achieved a 21% reduction in summer melt. A Providence study found even larger effects: 14-19 percentage point increases in enrollment among students who received texts.

The key? Personal, local messages work—generic blasts don't. An NBER study of 800,000 students found national campaigns had zero impact, but local outreach from trusted counselors drove significant results.

*Castleman & Page (UVA/Pitt), NBER Working Paper, Providence Study

🚀 How Hit Em Up Makes This Easy

Schedule your entire summer sequence in advance:

Hi ::firstname::! Your housing deposit for ::university:: is due ::deadline::. Questions? Just reply to this text. We're excited to have you! 🎓

::firstname::::university::::deadline::::counselor::

💡 Pro tip: Schedule all 12 summer messages at once. Hit Em Up sends them automatically at the perfect time.

K-12 Attendance: Strong Evidence from Major Studies

The Institute of Education Sciences funded a rigorous study of 26,000 elementary students across 108 schools in 4 large urban districts.

The intervention—weekly reminders plus same-day absence notifications at a cost of $6.90-$8.53 per student—reduced chronic absence by 2-7 percentage points. For students with prior high absence rates, chronic absenteeism dropped from 47.1% to 39.8%.

The West Virginia evaluation found even more striking results: 27% reduction in course failures, 12% increase in class attendance, and 25% fewer missed assignments among below-average students.

*IES/AIR Study, J-PAL West Virginia Evaluation

🚀 How Hit Em Up Makes This Easy

Same-day absence notifications that get responses:

Hi ::parentname::, ::childname:: was marked absent from ::class:: today. If this is an error, please reply or call the office. Thank you! —::school::

::parentname::::childname::::class::::school::

💡 Pro tip: Parents reply directly to your text. No app needed on their end—just regular SMS.

Real Results Across the Student Lifecycle

Jacksonville State University implemented a text-first strategy and achieved a 28% total enrollment increase over three years, setting enrollment records in 3 of 4 years.

University of Wyoming's "Cowboy Joe" AI chatbot produced their largest freshman class in school history. The chatbot was so popular that students complained to the dean when it ended.

For alumni engagement, Carnegie Mellon saw 170% more responses, Brenau University achieved 300% more Giving Day donations, and Princeton raised a record $3.1 million after texting 14,000 alumni.

*Mongoose Platform Data, Ellucian Case Studies

🚀 How Hit Em Up Makes This Easy

Two-way texting that converts at 6X higher rates:

::firstname::, you're almost there! Just 2 more steps to complete your ::university:: application. Need help? Reply here and I'll call you. —::counselor::

::firstname::::university::::counselor::::deadline::

💡 Pro tip: Every reply comes to your phone as a private 1:1 conversation. No group thread chaos.

Message Design Principles Backed by Evidence

Keep messages under 160 characters to prevent splitting and maintain clarity. Use personalized merge fields—research shows 75% higher engagement when messages are personalized.

Effective: "Julian, course registration for second-year business majors like you opens in 4 days—Tuesday 5/21 at 9 am."

Ineffective: "Get ready: course registration begins soon for most students."

Use growth mindset language rather than deficit framing. Research found -1 to -10 point drops from "harsh, alarmist messaging" versus +1 to +10 point lifts from growth-oriented messages.

*Civitas Learning, Campaign Monitor Research

Compliance Requirements Demand Careful Attention

Educational SMS programs operate within a complex regulatory framework involving TCPA, FERPA, and COPPA. Non-compliance carries serious risks—TCPA violations can result in $500-$1,500 per message.

The good news: The FCC's 2016 ruling clarified that schools can send automated messages for health and safety purposes without prior consent, including weather closures, dangerous threats, health risks, and unexcused absences.

FERPA is non-negotiable: Never text grades, GPA, financial aid amounts, or disciplinary records. As Louisiana College's FERPA guidance states: "If the information is FERPA protected, text message should not be used. Ever. Period."

*FCC Blackboard/Edison Ruling 2016, FERPA Guidelines

🚀 How Hit Em Up Makes This Easy

TCPA-friendly educational reminders:

Hi ::parentname::, reminder: ::childname::'s report card pickup is tomorrow 4-6pm. Reply with questions! —::school::

Educational MissionNot MarketingFrom Your Phone

💡 Pro tip: Messages come from your real phone number—parents can reply directly to you, not a faceless system.

How Hit Em Up Makes This Easy

The research is clear: personalized messages dramatically outperform generic blasts. But manually texting hundreds of students? That's not realistic.

Hit Em Up bridges that gap. Write your message once using tags like::firstname::,::university::, or::deadline::.

Hit Em Up sends individual 1:1 texts to each recipient—not a group message, not a blast. Each student sees "Hi Julian!" not "Hi everyone!"