Every day, schools need to communicate effectively with students, teachers, and parents alike.
Installing digital displays throughout the school may seem like an obvious way of reaching a large portion of this audience, but is digital signage always the best choice?
To answer this question, let's take a look at how digital signage can benefit schools and what it takes to ensure a successful setup.
Existing Methods
Before the digital age, schools relied on bulletin boards and printed notes in order to share important information with students, teachers, and parents.
Fast forward to today, however, and communication tools such as email, websites, social media, and messaging apps have become the primary means of communication for schools around the globe.
Given that all these existing channels are available, it might seem unnecessary to add digital signage into the mix.
So, here's the real question we need to explore: What can digital signage offer that other methods cannot?
Who Sees Your Message?
Most communication tools today depend on the recipient being available, attentive, and willing to read the message.
Sure, school messages delivered by WhatsApp or email are likely to reach the device of their intended recipient, but whether they are actively noticed and acted upon is another story!
Even when a message is opened, it's likely one of many.
The reader may be standing in line, juggling work, or half-focused. Attention is fleeting, and information can be quickly forgotten.
Recent research backs this up. For example, a 2024 Censuswide survey found that parents receive over 80 school-related emails each month, leading many to overlook the most important messages.
Meanwhile, a report from Motherly found that over 50% of parents feel overwhelmed by the number of emails they receive from their child's schools.
It is clear, then, that the existing methods schools rely upon are far from perfect.
Digital signage may provide a solution.
Unlike the avenues discussed above, digital signage does not compete for attention amidst a crowded inbox; it meets students and parents where they physically are—in and around the school.
Think about it: when a student, parent, or staff member walks into a hallway or lobby, their mindset naturally shifts toward the school environment.
Email and message inboxes take a backseat, paving the way for a well-placed screen—showing clear and important content—to grab attention without requiring anybody to open an app or check a notification!
Where Digital Signage Succeeds
While not every message belongs on a screen, some things are far more effective when displayed publicly.
Here's what schools often successfully use digital signage for—and why it works:
🎉 Celebrating Achievements
What? Highlight student success, community involvement, or recent awards.
Why? Sharing photos and videos helps build pride and bring the school's story to life.
📅 Schedule Changes
What? Communicate timetable changes or alterations to room numbers.
Why? Screens help ensure everybody can stay up to date without needing to refresh a webpage or check their inbox.
📣 Event Reminders
What? Promote upcoming events or share highlights after field trips.
Why? Photos from a school play or field trip bring joy and create a shared experience and community feel.
🏫 Administrative Information
What? Share new policies, parking guidelines, and office hours with those who need to know!
Why? Digital displays make it easy to keep everyone informed, even when changes happen unexpectedly.
👩🏫 Staff Recognition
What? A warm welcome to a new teacher, a farewell message to long-serving staff, a 'good luck' for upcoming events, or even a 'happy birthday' wish. Some schools even run "Meet the Teacher" slides to help students and parents connect names with faces.
Why? Such recognition makes staff feel seen and valued, increasing job motivation and loyalty.
🎨 Art and Creativity
What? Student artwork and creative projects can be displayed.
Why? Creative projects deserve more than just a grade! Screens give them a public platform and boost confidence.
🧭 Wayfinding
What? Directions, school maps, or dynamic updates on room changes.
Why? Large schools can be confusing, especially for visitors. Displaying key directional information can help reduce stress and save time.
🍽 Cafeteria Menus
What? What's for lunch today? Use displays to show menus, ingredients, and even allergy information - all in real time.
Why? Menus are traditionally small and presented only in the dining hall. This gives students little time to choose or inform staff of any allergies!
🚨 Emergency Alerts
What? Real-time alerts with instructions tailored to each location, from exits to lockdowns.
Why? In emergencies, clarity matters.
What You'll Need
Running digital signage involves two parts: setup and maintenance.
Initial Setup
A Screen
You don't need to start with anything fancy. Even an old TV will work just fine, so long as it can hang on the wall and connect to the internet.
If you want long-term reliability, however, it might be wise to ask your IT or media team about commercial-grade displays—they're built for non-stop use and tend to last longer, saving money in the long run.
Software
Again, you can start simple! Using Google Slides in full-screen mode with a shared link can be a useful first step.
For more control and automation, it is important to look into dedicated digital signage software. It will save time and offer more features.
A Media Player (Optional)
If your screen can open a browser or run an app, you might not need anything extra.
If not, consider a simple external device—just make sure it's compatible with your software and easy to maintain.
Ongoing Maintenance
Costs
The main recurring cost associated with digital signage is the software. Therefore, it is important to choose not only a plan that fits your budget now, but one that will remain within reach if you choose to expand to more screens in the future.
Content Updates
This is where consistency matters most. If your screens aren't kept up to date, they quickly lose their impact.
Assign a clear person to manage content. Normally, even just 30 minutes each week will be enough!
Technical Support
Things break. Have someone ready to handle it—whether it's you, IT, or a vendor.
If you're short on time, go for dedicated hardware that is reliable and requires less attention. Remember, a high-quality commercial screen might cost more upfront but will save you time (and hassle) later.
Final Thoughts
Digital signage won't entirely replace your existing communication tools - but it offers something they simply cannot.
It grabs attention without being intrusive. It speaks when people are ready to listen. And it helps schools share not just information, but culture, pride, and connection.
If your school is serious about keeping its community informed and engaged, this might be an impactful upgrade you make this year.
Just remember: content is everything. Keep it updated and engaging, and people will keep looking.
Ready to give it a go? Try starting with one screen in the busiest hallway and review engagement after two weeks.
Let us know how it goes!