Many public school systems spend thousands of dollars each year to attract students. Money well spent, officials say.

“Marketing is an essential part of all school districts,” said Samantha Briggs, spokeswoman for Widefield School District 3. “Parents and students now have the option to choice into any school, including charter and private schools, so it’s more important than ever to let parents know the unique programs and services offered to increase enrollment.”

During January and February’s “choice window,” when parents can apply to send their children to schools outside the boundaries in which they live, traditional and online advertising is drilling messages of why one school or district is more favorable than others.

Choice students comprise nearly 8 percent of Widefield D-3’s 9,435 students, according to 2015-2016 enrollment figures the Colorado Department of Education released this month. Overall, the district had a net loss of 834 students to other districts.

D-3 spent about $3,000 on school choice advertising, Briggs said, and tracks online analytics and conducts online surveys to see what’s working.

“More students equals more money,” she said. “However, with a shrinking budget some school districts are being forced to cut back on advertising and find free ways to market their schools.”

Each student who choices in to attend a school within Colorado Springs School District 11, the region’s largest district with 27.937 students, means revenue of $6,000 to $7,000 in per-pupil state funding, said spokeswoman Devra Ashby.

D-11 had the most net loss of students of the area’s 17 districts, with 5,623 students lost this year to other districts or private education, and the district increased its choice advertising budget to $27,000 this school year, she said. In addition to television, print and radio ads, D-11 is doing direct mailings, movie theater and social media ads, including Pandora digital radio and Facebook.

Programs such as the D-11 Early College High School have grown steadily in recent years, which Ashby attributes to choice campaigns.

“We’re able to target to specific audience demographics with direct mail and social media campaigns. We know through Facebook how many people were reached organically or through a paid post, and how many people shared, liked or commented on the post,” she said.

The region’s smallest district, Edison 54-JT, with 216 students, has the highest percentage of students enrolling from outside the district – 73. 1 percent.

That sounds about right, said Superintendent Pat Bershinsky.

“We’re one of the highest-performing districts in the state, let alone this area,” he said, “and when you perform at that level, kids seem to want to choice into your district.”

The largest amount of students came from nearby Miami-Yoder 60-JT, giving Edison 54-JT a net gain of 49 students from that district.

Manitou Springs School District 14 has the second largest percentage of choice students, with 43 percent of this year’s 1,492 students living in other district boundaries. That’s been the trend for years, said Superintendent Ed Longfield.

“We’ve been hovering around 40 percent for a few years and growing the last few years,” he said.

D-14 is one of the last remaining small public school districts in the urban area, Longfield said, and has built a reputation for rigorous academics and innovative offerings.

“Our push is to have an environment of culture that’s safe and engaging, with a relational, personalized approach,” he said.

The district spends $4,000 to $5,000 each year on choice marketing, Longfield said.

“Word-of-mouth and our reputation help,” he said.

The region’s second-largest district, Academy School District 20, has the highest net gain of students this year, at 3,642. About one in every five of the 25,063 students attending D-20 schools live in other districts, primarily Colorado Springs D-11 and Lewis-Palmer School District 38.

Because of new housing construction, D-20 has cut spending on choice advertising to $21,585, said spokeswoman Nanette Anderson.

“Fewer seats will be available” in the fall for choice students, she said.

D-20 does a specific advertising campaign before and during the choice enrollment window. Radio advertising, website prominence and an informational parent night about the process are among the promotion strategies this year.

Harrison School District 2, which had the region’s second highest net loss, of 1,302 students, doesn’t spend money on marketing school choice, said spokeswoman Christine Lyle.

The district’s $30,000 advertising budget goes to “marketing specific to what our district has to offer in order to build our brand,” she said.

New video, a new Univision commercial, “Connect with us” promotional cards, brochures and other materials are being used.

“Our district has made a conscious decision to keep our marketing budget down and to use as many grassroots efforts as we can,” Lyle said. “We use many free channels – the district website, school websites, an electronic newsletter, Facebook pages for schools and the disrict, Twitter, school marquis ads and emails to families.”

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Gazette reporter Maria St. Louis-Sanchez contributed to this report.