School websites can be overwhelming because they typically house a lot of information. Additionally, figuring out the target audience of your school website can be tricky, as there are visitors with different search intents landing on your site. From parents to potential students to educators to currently enrolled students, school websites have to speak to users with various reasons for visiting.
We've rounded up 15 school websites that effectively balance function and aesthetic appeal. Here are our favorites.
What are the best school websites?
Ready to check out our favorite school websites? Here are 15 examples that demonstrate what excellence looks like. And when you're ready to get started creating your own for your educational institution, you can begin for free with Content Hub.
1. LIM London
LIM London demonstrates how beautiful school websites can be. Even the loading screen is visually stunning. This music production school's website shines because of the animations in the background, which make it stand out but aren't overwhelming. (If you need help making your CSS animations, we've got you covered there, too.)
Additionally, the font is easy to read and contrasts nicely. We love the color combination and how the homepage features testimonials and frequently asked questions as you scroll down.
2. Metropolitan Montessori School
Up next is Metropolitan Montessori School, on our list of best school websites because it balances functional and aesthetically pleasing. This site makes use of shapes and colors which evoke memories of childhood.
The homepage flows well, offering an image that shows students at the school, then providing information regarding the education students receive. A section for recent updates also demonstrates the institution's commitment to transparency.
3. Ocean School
The Ocean School also has one of the best school websites. The copy is scarce but compelling as it invites enrollees and potential students to "dive deeper." Within one scroll, the school asks and answers visitors' main question, "What is Ocean School?"
We also love that there are separate sections for parents, educators, and "explorers" to discover what the school offers, as each user has a different intent by visiting the site.
4. Solanco School District
Next is the Solanco School District website. When you land on this site, your eyes are immediately drawn to the copy: "Connecting. Inspiring. Empowering." The bold font and strong contrast against the background allow these words to stand out.
The site also features links to the school's social media accounts, allowing visitors to connect with the institution there. We also enjoy the icons adjacent to related links, such as the middle school menu and the site's built-in calendar of upcoming events.
This site also stands out to us because it's accessible, thanks to the color contrast toggle and font-size toggle.
5. Marist College
Marist College, a liberal arts institution based in New York's Hudson Valley, is one of our favorite school websites for its simplicity. The site's central focus is a video showcasing college life scenes. The college also provides a robust menu at the top of the website, allowing visitors to find what they're looking for easily.
As you scroll down, Marist College presents compelling statistics regarding its reputation, post-grad employment rate, and study abroad program. Also on the homepage is a section highlighting announcement blog posts. The footer also has many options, making navigating the site simple.
6. Canterbury School
Like the Marist College homepage, the Canterbury school's website features a sizable video with snippets of life at the institution. News is also a central focus of this site, as, within one scroll, you are invited to learn more about recent announcements.
We love how this homepage features a focus on upcoming events. The Canterbury School also provides visitors with statistics on the institution, its campus, and what it offers, which is effective for potential students landing on the site.
7. LIM College
Next up is LIM College. LIM College is an institution centered around the business of fashion. Therefore, the creative vibe of its site works well with the organization's mission. Immediately upon landing on this site, you'll notice it is more artistic than some of the other beautiful school websites on this list.
This demonstrates that you can (and should!) lean into what your institution does when creating your website. Let your school's branding influence the site design. We love how this site puts announcement blog posts front and center, plus how you can learn more about alumni employers as you scroll down.
8. Washington Market School
This is one of the most beautiful school websites because of its uniqueness. We love the sketched-style graphics sprinkled throughout the website and the combination of colors that evoke nostalgia for early education. We love how this site presents visitors with everything they're looking for without searching for it — the institution's educational philosophy, a typical day, and programming, specifically.
9. School of X
School of X makes use of bold color on its website. The site is graphic and playful yet informative. We love how the School of X embeds past Instagram posts directly on the site to ensure visitors can connect with it on social media. The font is easy to read yet visually appealing, and we love the layered look of the images when you land on the homepage.
10. New York University
New York University's website is one of the best school websites because of how on-brand it is. The university's primary color is purple, and this website reveals how harnessing the power of your branding allows your site to stand out. The homepage is also well-organized in a unique grid formation. We also love how there's an accessible top links section which allows for easy access to pages visitors most likely want to reach.
11. Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School also stands out for its website. The central focus of this website is the menu options that aren't hidden behind a menu button but are embraced as part of the site's unique design. We also appreciate how the image in the background changes as you roll over different menu options.
12. Porto Business School
Porto Business School also demonstrates the importance of making school websites visually compelling. The site stands out because it features animation on the homepage. Another strength of this website is its ability to toggle back and forth between languages directly on the site. As you scroll down, you learn more about the recognition the Porto Business School has received.
13. The New School
The New School's website scores major points as it utilizes parallax scrolling, features various videos, and even has a homepage section mentioning recent announcements. Though the main pop of color of the site is red, it features enough whitespace to make the website feel balanced. The font is unique yet readable.
14. Parsons at The New School
Speaking of The New School, we want to highlight Parsons' sub-site specifically. It's no wonder that this art institution offers a gorgeous, visually stunning site. Parallax scrolling helps tell Parsons' story more efficiently. Parsons also embeds its Instagram account directly on the site, as the graphics are visually gripping. When you scroll to the bottom, you are invited to "Take the next step." Lastly, we love how this school website features student work.
15. Westbourne Grammar School
Lastly is Westbourne Grammar School. This institution has one of the best school websites, as it features parallax scrolling, making the journey visitors take on the website more visually attractive. Plus, the images displayed are compelling as they showcase what life at the school looks like. Additionally, we love how the school features parent testimonials to demonstrate what the institution offers students.
The best school websites balance function and aesthetics.
As you can tell from these examples, the best school websites can successfully tell the institution's story in an engaging yet aesthetically appealing manner.