As a small K–8 learning environment serving students since 1948, Pine Point School doesn’t just turn to technology for the purpose of processing data. It relies on strong systems that support overarching goals for nurturing their families and maintaining a high reputation within the Stonington, Connecticut community.
With over 75 years of heritage, the school has many important milestones etched into its past. Among them are a few important technology shifts — most notably their recent transition to Veracross.
For Christopher Hibbard, Head of Advancement, the move to Veracross was about more than just software. It was about aligning the school’s systems with its mission, improving efficiency, and delivering a better experience for families and staff alike.
From Fragmented Systems to a Unified Vision
Seven years ago, Pine Point was juggling multiple systems across departments. “We really wanted to have the efficiency of having all our offices on the same database and working together,” Christopher explains. At the time, the school chose to use their previous SIS largely on familiarity and cost. But over time, difficulties mounted that were costing more than they were saving.
“Our frustration had grown over the last few years,” he says. “And as we know—and we’ve heard from other schools—their pricing has increased, in some cases exponentially.”
Eventually, the team revisited Veracross, a platform they had considered years earlier. “We had always loved the product,” Christopher says. “And now we wish we chosen more wisely seven years ago.”
The decision to switch to Veracross was driven by a desire for a truly integrated system that ticked all the boxes. “Having the efficiencies of one system as opposed to these smaller individual ones allows you to grow,” Christopher says. “It allows you to manage that one record all the way through the application process, through the current student SIS, and then through development. And then with some of our alums being back as parents again, being able to have that one record all the way through is really a powerful thing.”
That single-record model has transformed how Pine Point operates. “The system just continues to impress us with everything that it can do,” he adds. “It’s incredibly robust.”
Built for Schools, not Retrofitted for Them
One of the key differentiators for the Pine Point School team was Veracross’s design philosophy and its very foundations.
“The system was built for independent schools, for people that think about schools and the way that schools work,” Christopher says, going on to reference challenges with other systems that have not been built that way.
“For us to see a system that’s meant for schools—and also the one-record model—that’s the way we feel like a database should be built for a school,” explains Christopher.
Technology That Fits the Way Schools Work
Beyond integration, Veracross offered something else Pine Point had been missing and in need of — flexibility.
“Blackbaud was very rigid in the way that things worked,” Christopher says of the school’s old system. “We’ve just been amazed with the flexibility of Veracross and the way that we can customize and adjust things to our individual needs here at Pine Point.”
That flexibility has empowered departments like admissions to tailor workflows and reporting to their needs. “We’ve been able to build out reports that work for the way that we do our work here, for the way that our board wants to see that information,” he says. “It’s incredibly robust and incredibly flexible.”
The impact of Veracross has been felt not just internally, but also by the families of Pine Point School as well.
“The parent portal is really fantastic,” Christopher says. “It allows us to customize it. Parents have said this has been such a helpful thing, that they can go to one place and see all the emails that have been sent from the school and even sort them by faculty.”
Features like permission forms, alerts, and centralized communication have made a tangible difference. “Parents have absolutely loved it,” he says.
A Smooth Implementation with Expert Support
Pine Point partnered with a Veracross service consultant to support their implementation, and it made all the difference. “It’s been invaluable,” Christopher says. The school lost its Director of Technology just as the implementation began, but the consultant helped them stay on track. “We don’t think we could have done it without him,” shares Christopher.
Veracross also advised the school to phase in the transition of their new SIS, starting with admissions, billing, and student information, and saving development for the following year. “That was a lot of data,” he says. “We’re glad we did it that way.”
Advice for Other Small Schools
One unexpected benefit of joining the Veracross ecosystem has been the ability to collaborate with other schools. “We just learned that each query you build has an individual number, and you can share those numbers with other Veracross schools,” Christopher explains. “We thought, wow—we know a lot of Veracross schools here in Connecticut. What an unbelievable resource that we could be sharing queries with each other.”
For schools considering a switch, Christopher offers this advice: “It’s opportunity cost. As a small school, we need our databases to be working for us, not against us.”
“Consider all of that friction that’s created by using piecemeal systems or systems that won’t grow with you,” continues Christopher. “Bigger schools have that luxury. We don’t. We need to be as efficient as possible. If you can make this investment and have a system that you’ll be able to use for decades, it’s invaluable.”
As Pine Point prepares to complete its transition to Veracross with the development module this July, the team is optimistic about the future of their tech. “We’re big Veracross fans,” Christopher says. “And we look forward to the future years.
With their switch to Veracross, Pine Point School has been able to enhance their family communications experience, make informed data decisions thanks to the single-record model, and support the goals of Chirstopher’s Advancement team with flexibility and precision. Learn more about how Veracross can support your school’s needs.
