Facing declining enrollment and increased competition from charter, private and home-school options, the Leon County School Board is considering hiring student recruitment firm Caissa K12 to help bring students back to the district’s public schools. During the Leon County Schools agenda review meeting on Monday, May 11th, officials received information about Caissa K12.
According to materials presented to board members, the Tennessee-based company specializes in student recruitment, retention and chronic absenteeism campaigns for public school districts across the country. Caissa says it currently works with more than 100 districts in over two dozen states and uses political-style campaign strategies to identify and recruit students.
The proposal comes as Leon County Schools faces financial pressure linked to declining enrollment. Public school districts receive state funding based largely on student attendance, meaning each student who leaves for a charter school, private school, home-schooling or another district reduces district revenue. Community discussions in Tallahassee have increasingly focused on enrollment losses and potential budget cuts or school consolidations.
The company’s materials describe a “performance-based” model in which districts pay only for students who successfully enroll and attend school. Caissa says it tracks students individually to verify results and uses outreach tactics including canvassing, direct mail, phone calls, digital advertising, community events and grassroots organizing.
Caissa officials argue public school districts now operate in a competitive environment and must actively market their programs to families. The company says its campaigns are designed to improve enrollment trends, increase state funding tied to student counts and strengthen public awareness of district offerings.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Caissa’s proposal is the company’s fee structure. While Leon County Schools has not publicly released a proposed payment amount, contracts in other districts provide insight into the company’s pricing model.
In Orange County Public Schools, district officials approved a contract paying Caissa $935 for every student successfully recruited or recovered who remained enrolled for at least 30 instructional days. District officials there said the company helped re-enroll 1,932 students during the first year of the agreement, generating approximately $1.8 million in payments to Caissa. However, Orange County officials argued each returning student also generated nearly $8,950 in state funding, leaving the district with a net financial gain.
A similar contract approved this year by Hartford Public Schools also pays Caissa $935 per recruited student, with the agreement capped at $500,000.
Caissa describes its services as “performance-based,” meaning districts pay only for verified enrollment results rather than traditional advertising fees. The company’s campaigns include direct mail, phone calls, digital advertising, canvassing, community events and grassroots outreach.
Leon County Schools officials have not yet announced whether the board will move forward with a contract.
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