A districtwide decision to make connection easier

At Pittsylvania County Schools in Virginia, home to 21 schools and roughly 7,500 students, leaders have long understood that strong learning outcomes start with strong relationships. But like many districts, they faced a common challenge: communication tools weren’t consistent from classroom to classroom, or from school to home. When every teacher uses a different app or system, families have to guess where to look and important information often gets missed.

District leaders wanted to reduce that friction, strengthen the home-school connection, and support school culture while maintaining security, transparency, and appropriate oversight. They also viewed family engagement as a practical lever in their broader work to address chronic absenteeism.

The challenge: plenty of messages, not enough consistency

Before standardizing, communication varied widely by teacher and by school. Some families were receiving regular classroom updates; others weren’t. Some teachers had effective routines for sharing reminders, celebrations, and check-ins; others relied on email or paper flyers that didn’t always make it home.

The result was a familiar experience for many families: too many apps, too many logins, and too much uncertainty about where to go for timely updates.

Just as importantly, the district needed a solution that supported privacy and clarity, especially in situations involving custody and contact permissions. “Rostering helped us ensure we’re connecting custodial guardians and closing gaps that districts have lived with for years,” Reynolds explained.

The approach: standardize the channel and support adoption

Pittsylvania County Schools rolled out ClassDojo across all 10 elementary schools and paired implementation with practical support. Instead of treating adoption as a one-time training event, the district created momentum through ongoing leadership engagement and structured enablement:

• K–5 implementation with rostering and family invitations
• Train-the-trainer professional development for non-teacher leaders (assistant principals, IT leads, and other site-based champions)
• One-on-one school leader check-ins across all 10 elementary schools

This approach gave schools both a shared expectation and the local capacity to build consistent routines. The district also emphasized secure, rostered connections to ensure messaging reached the right adults, reducing the risks associated with unapproved communication tools.

What changed: everyday engagement became the norm

Once schools aligned on one trusted channel and leaders reinforced consistent use, family engagement shifted from being dependent on individual classrooms to becoming a schoolwide practice. Teachers could share updates, reminders, and positive feedback in ways that felt natural, and families no longer had to search across multiple places for information.

“ClassDojo gives parents a safe, secure window into what their kids are doing every day,”
said Reynolds.

The impact review shows how quickly that consistency translated into meaningful participation.

Results at a glance (school year to date):

• 97% of students have families connected
• 3,500+ active parents
• 395 weekly active staff (YoY +73)
• 144k+ messages exchanged
• 78% district average same-day read rate
• 4,294 class stories posted in first three months of school year
• 152 school stories posted in first three months of school year
• 134 events posted since in first three months of school year
• 121,755 points awarded to students this year

Why it worked: simplicity, visibility, and trust

District and school leaders pointed to a few key factors that helped drive results:

• Families had a consistent, reliable place to see classroom updates, creating the sense of connection and visibility that helps students feel supported at home.
• Teachers could communicate quickly and naturally without relying on personal phone numbers or fragmented tools.
• Rostering and guardian alignment added clarity about who should receive messages, reinforcing privacy and trust.
• Leader engagement (training + check-ins) helped sustain adoption beyond the initial rollout.

Looking ahead

With a strong foundation across its elementary schools, Pittsylvania County Schools is continuing to expand best practices and encouraging school-level consistency, strengthening event communications, and identifying new ways ClassDojo can support a connected, welcoming culture.

“When families feel seen, they show up,” said Reynolds. “And when they show up, schools can do even more to help every child thrive.”