🚨 Who’s Really Competing with Your School?
Beyond Competition: The Six Forces Shaping Your School's Future in 2025
Dear School leader,
Running a school in today’s world is not just about academics — it’s about STRATEGY!
From demanding parents to EdTech disruption, school leaders are now forced to think like CEOs.
But who’s your real competition? What’s silently threatening your school's growth?
Let’s unpack the Five Forces from Michael Porter — plus a sixth, equally important force from the Value Net Model: Complementors.
1. 🏫 Competitive Rivalry
"Why should parents pick you?"
Every term, another new school opens its doors. Fancy names. Shiny brochures. Same curriculum. Same uniforms. Same language about “holistic learning.” But families aren’t fooled. They want more than slogans. They are looking deeper.
Key Question:
What makes your school truly different — in delivery, experience, or outcomes? What’s your edge — in delivery, values, and experience?
2. 🚪 Threat of New Entrants; Low barriers, high disruption
"Anyone can start a school. Can they sustain it?"
The bar for entry is low, especially with digital-first models. A charismatic teacher and an Instagram page can now launch a mini-school.
What you must do:
Build a strong culture. Focus on trust, not trends.
If you don’t build brand trust and deepen your impact, someone else will take your place — and your students.
3. 🎓 Power of Suppliers
"Your best teachers can leave — your tech can glitch."
Curriculum vendors. Digital platforms. Teachers. They all supply your core offering — and they’re not waiting around.
Teachers are no longer staying “forever.” They want growth, fair pay, and a clear career path. The same goes for curriculum providers and edtech platforms. If you rely too heavily on any one supplier, you risk disruption.
Solution:
Reduce dependency. Build in-house talent. Own your narrative.
4. 👨👩👧 Bargaining Power of Parents
"Today’s parents are informed, impatient, and interconnected."
Parents don’t just pay fees — they ask questions, compare options, and expect top-tier service. They want value — not just academically, but emotionally and socially.
What works:
Clarity, communication, and consistency. Every single term.
In tough economies, affordability and trust beat shiny marketing.
5. 💡 Threat of Substitutes
"Learning is no longer confined to classrooms."
You’re not just competing with schools. You’re competing with YouTube, learning apps, virtual tutors, homeschool networks, and skill-based academies.
These aren’t fringe options anymore — they’re real, growing alternatives.
Play to your strengths:
Double down on what technology can’t replace; Human connection. Mentorship. Values. Culture.
6. 🤝 Complementors (Value Net Model)
"Who makes your offering better?"
Complementors are organizations, products, or people that make your school more valuable. Think:
After-school partners that offer coding, STEM, or dance programs
NGOs supporting literacy or hygiene
Mentorship or alumni networks
Parent advocates who spread your impact
Education tech partners who train, not just sell
Strategy:
Identify them. Partner well. Elevate the experience.
Because when your complementors win, your school wins too.
What Now?
✅ Be clear on what you offer that no one else can replicate.
✅ Understand all six forces — and where your leverage lies.
✅ Nurture strategic relationships — not just transactions.
✅ Future-proof your school with partnerships, not just platforms.
So What’s the Play?
✅ Define your value beyond academics.
✅ Build a learning culture, not just a teaching one.
✅ Digitize where it matters — but never at the cost of human connection.
✅ Grow your people. Teachers don’t stay where they don’t grow.
✅ Strengthen your culture — it’s the one thing competitors can’t copy.
Because at the end of the day, schools that think like institutions last.
The rest? They just try to keep up.
Let’s Discuss
Let’s Continue the Conversation
Which of these forces are most visible in your context?
How are you building a competitive edge in your school?
Which of these forces feels most urgent in your school right now?
What complementors have you leaned on — and how have they helped?
To thriving schools and strong strategy
Dr. Abimbola Ogundere
Strategy-Led. Purpose-Driven. Education Obsessed.