Go Slow to Go Fast: Exceeding Boarding Enrollment Goals by Doubling Retention: Every admissions office at a school with a boarding program feels the pressure to “fill empty beds,” whether from their board, head of school, Dean of Students’ office, or all of the above. Often the focus on enrollment leads to compromising the quality or fit of students “filling the beds.” In this case study, you’ll learn how a 10-year old small boarding program exceeded its enrollment goals by 45% over 4 years by working with a board-approved plan of focusing on retention. We’ll share the story of this quick journey, including: The initial study of our boarding retention and attrition; How we worked with the Board to create a plan with buy-in; What it meant for us to focus on retention; Our end result of meeting our enrollment goals several years ahead of schedule. We will share high-level takeaways that we hope schools of all sizes can apply to the strategic enrollment management and planning of their boarding programs.