Schools Check Out for Winter Break, But Parents Don’t Stop Searching

Ah, winter break.

A rare moment when school teams get to breathe, reset, and genuinely unplug. Marketing and admissions folks carry a year-round workload, and the downtime they get in December is well-earned.

But while school staff unplugs… parents plug in.

They’re home.
They’re traveling.
They’re catching up with extended family.

And in those quieter moments, they’re having the kinds of conversations that naturally spark school curiosity:

• “My cousin loves her daughter’s school. Should we look into something like that?”
• “We should start planning for high school. We’re probably already behind.”
• “Are there options around us that might fit better long-term?”

Not in a frantic, mid-year-shift kind of way, but more of an I finally have space to think about this kind of way. Winter break creates room for reflection, comparison, and planning ahead.

And here’s the part schools often underestimate:

Search demand doesn’t stop just because campuses are quiet.

Every December, we hear a familiar question: “Should we pause our ads over winter break?”

It’s an understandable assumption. Offices close. Systems slow down. It feels like families would press pause, too.

But the internet doesn’t take a vacation, AKA, Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and your website are working hard while you press play on your winter playlist.

Because parents’ curiosity about future school options doesn’t take a vacation either.

When you look at multi-year Google Trends data for searches like “private school near me,” “preschools near me,” and “middle schools near me,” the pattern is consistent: seasonal dips, never a flatline.

Search activity softens in December, but it certainly doesn’t disappear.

Which is exactly why your ads shouldn’t either. Pulling back on the reins after all the momentum built throughout the fall could shortchange things come spring.

Don’t panic. Let’s zoom out a bit to talk this out. 

School Admissions Seasons Don’t Match Parent Search Behavior

There’s a common rhythm baked into many school marketing plans:
Go hard in the fall, pause over winter break, ramp back up in January, phase out toward late spring, pause over the summer.

That cadence works internally, but families never signed up for it.

Parents don’t wait for campaigns to restart or offices to reopen before they start wondering what options are nearby. They don’t need a perfectly timed admissions push to spark curiosity. When the thought hits, they search.

• They open a new browser tab.
• They start a fresh ChatGPT conversation.
• They look up “schools near me” on a whim.

And when schools disappear in the middle of that moment, they may not be part of the conversation moving forward.

What August Through January Reveals About Search Momentum

Parents search for schools year-round, but specific windows make momentum easier to see.

When you narrow the view to August through mid-January, a clear pattern emerges:

• Search interest builds steadily throughout the fall
• Dips slightly across holiday weeks
• Then rebounds quickly in early January

That early-January lift doesn’t come out of nowhere.

It’s fueled by families who spent December quietly observing, bookmarking schools, reading websites, saving lists, and gathering information before taking action.

If your school goes dark during winter break, you’re not just pausing ads, you’re stepping out of that early consideration phase entirely.

And with all good intentions of saving ad dollars, you inadvertently lose traction with searching families AND Google.

What Happens After January Matters, Too

Once the new year begins, families aren’t all in the same place — and that’s exactly the point.

From January through the summer months, parents span a wide range of readiness:

• Some are actively applying
• Some are narrowing their shortlist
• Some are planning for a future school year
• Some simply want to experience a school before taking a next step

Strong digital strategies recognize this shift and adjust accordingly.

Check out our recent blog post titled “Concierge Admissions: What Independent School Admissions Trends Are Telling Us” written by Heather Burchfield, former independent school admissions, marketing, and communications in the New Jersey area.

Instead of relying solely on “apply now” messaging, schools are seeing traction by letting prospective families choose their own level of engagement:

• Encouraging campus visits and tours
• Promoting spring events and community moments
• Highlighting upcoming entry points or limited availability
• Making it easy to learn more without pressure

Not every interaction needs to result in an inquiry, but every interaction should move families one step closer.

Pausing Ads Creates Gaps in Visibility

Even during slower weeks, completely shutting ads off has ripple effects:

• Visibility shifts to schools that stay present
• Campaign momentum slows and takes time (and budget) to rebuild
• January and spring demand arrive before ads are fully back up to speed
• Families researching early never see your school at all

There are times of year when it makes sense to increase ad spend, but there are very few moments when choosing zero visibility works in a school’s favor.

A Smarter School Advertising Strategy: Lighten, Don’t Pause

If December or spring budgets need adjusting, that’s reasonable and common.

A smarter approach looks like:

• Reducing spend rather than shutting campaigns down
• Prioritizing high-intent and evergreen messaging
• Maintaining consistent visibility
• Protecting momentum as families move closer to action

This respects seasonality without sacrificing awareness and aligns more closely with how parents actually search.

Bottom Line, TL;DR

Winter break may feel quiet inside your school, but it’s anything but quiet when it comes to school searches.

Your team deserves to rest over the holidays, but your ads shouldn’t. Visibility during quieter moments supports stronger engagement when families are ready to take the next step.

Frequently Asked Questions About School Advertising During Winter Break

These are some of the most common questions school marketing and admissions teams ask about advertising during winter break, with insights that apply to other seasonal slowdowns as well.