Amidst the tricks and treats of October, dozens and dozens of schools went live with their Finalsite websites. From stunning best-in-class web designs to impressive theme designs that pack a punch, there’s a lot to explore, including the amazing design of a top international school in China and the inspiring story of a district that reopened after the devastating fires on the Hawaiian Island of Maui.

Hold on to your pumpkin spice lattes; we’re taking a look at the beautiful web design, user experiences, and content of the school websites launched by some of the top schools and districts throughout the world!

Durham Academy

We often talk about the power of creating a unique user experience for each user, one that speaks to the interests, goals, or even pain points of the person browsing your school’s website. Durham Academy, a private, independent school that serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, does this really creatively with a range of features that serve up content based on interests, learning levels, and the student experience. 

There are lots of gems across this site, like a subtle animated silhouette in the footer, and the drop-down menu on its homepage serves up specific information about athletics, arts, learning, and its inclusive community.

Be sure to take a closer look at: 

• Custom image buttons in use for its strategic vision
• Beautiful, full-width images make a statement and help visually break up page content
• Custom progress bars to help visualize fundraising goals
• A comprehensive athletics page with easy access to teams, schedules, and facility map 
• Video panels throughout the site to grab hold of users’ attention 
• A filterable and searachble Post grid to make browsing easy
• A detailed timeline to share the 90+ year history of the school and so much more!

Canterbury School

Every school has endless stories to tell, and Canterbury knows that each student’s journey will be filled with countless meaningful moments that all build toward a profound student experience.

“This is your school,” the site exclaims. “This is your journey. This is the extraordinary opportunity your story deserves.” Love it!

In such a competitive region like the northeast, Canterbury wisely partnered with Finalsite Advantage for the strategies to really make an impact — it certainly delivered. With each scroll and click, users discover smiling faces, engaged students, and the hustle and bustle of a connected student boarding life.

Don’t miss these other highlights!

• Full-width parallax image panels, custom image sliders, and custom image buttons that make the design pop
• A creative, three-paneled featured image element from the homepage
• A beautiful custom post slideshow, as featured in its admissions process

Nanjing International School

Nanjing’s new site stands out for so many reasons — the bold orange colors and text, the lively video, and the wonderful inclusion of its artistic paint daubs and brush strokes.

The experience is inspiring, too, with the repeated use of “imagine” through the site, the enticing CTAs, and the captivating images of young children excited to learn.

Ninjing’s site is so impressive we had to take a deeper dive and include it as part of our “What Makes this Site so Great?” series — check it out!

Detroit Country Day School

Serving students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, Detroit Country Day School is a school known for its strong academic curriculum, emphasis on the arts, and athletic programs. The school is creatively reusing its homepage elements in a lovely way, with many modules and assets available for future use throughout its site.

Read the language carefully — you’ll notice the repetition of “I” in its positioning, as in: “It’s more than what I achieve. It’s who I become.” The first-person positioning in its headers is a refreshing change compared to much of the verbiage typically seen on sites. 

Here are just a few highlights to check out: 

• A really unique display of their athletic teams, neatly presented in Composer’s tab layout format
• Mobily-friendly layouts throughout the site look great with accordions
• Custom image cards for its divisions merge beautiful images with calls to action:
• A streamlined and mobile-friendly giving form that makes collecting donations easy for everyone

Be sure to take a look at these beautiful school websites too!

• Korea International School
• Salem-Keizer School District
• Good Shepherd Episcopal School
• North Kansas City School District
• Lodi Unified School District

Theme Design Launches

Many schools and districts also launched their beautiful theme sites in October — congratulations on all successful website redesigns!

• Butler County School District
• Anniston City School District
• Yellowstone School District 14
• Warren Hills Regional SD
• Red Bank Borough SD
   
• Kankakee Valley School Corporation
• Wiseburn Unified School District
• Laton Unified School District
• Cloverport School District
• Bracken County School District
   
• Sandy Valley Local
• Arizona Language Schools
• Midlakes Schools | Phelps-Clifton Springs
• Pine Plains Central SD
• Millville Area School District
   
• Dinuba Unified School District
• Monomoy Regional SD
• Aquinas Institute of Theology
• Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy
• The International Education Agency of Papua New Guinea
   
• Monmouth Ocean Educational Services Commission
• Northbrook School District 28
• Weld RE-9 School District
• Oregon Employability Skills 
• Lahaina Intermediate School
   
• Plattsmouth Community School District 13
• Christ The King Catholic High School
• Harrison School District 20
• St. Francis De Sales High School
• Alexander County Schools
   
• Lansdowne Friends School
• Stafford Township School District 
• Griffith Public School District
• Advantage Academy
• Emmett Independent School District 221
   
• Manheim Central School District
• Van Wert City Schools
• Tolar Independent School District

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.