The verdict in three sentences
For a small independent primary school with a nursery in Palm Beach, the real constraint is rarely budget alone: it is staff time, often a head of school and an admissions lead who do everything. A local agency makes sense if you want someone who comes to campus, photographs classrooms and runs content workshops for you. If you mostly want a clear site for parents of young children, read on mobile, with simple tour booking, a fixed-price remote studio delivers it in 3 to 4 weeks without tying up your team for months.
The Palm Beach context changes the priorities
Families looking for a private nursery or primary school in Palm Beach County are often in transition: relocated from the Northeast for work, living here part of the year, or comparing several schools within a few days. They read your site on a phone, often in the evening, and want three answers fast: entry age, hours and extended care, the date of the next tour. If your school offers Florida's VPK program for 4-year-olds, say so clearly: parents ask early.
The table below helps you decide in five questions.
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Do you have recent classroom photos with parental consent? | Remote studio is enough | Plan a local photographer or a local agency |
| Can your team supply content in 2 or 3 interviews? | Remote studio | Local agency with on-site workshops |
| Must the budget stay under $10,000? | Remote studio ($2,900 to 8,900 at Kolonell) | Both options are open |
| Are you changing name or logo at the same time? | Local agency fits better | Remote studio |
| Do you want to be live before January tours? | Remote studio (3 to 4 weeks) | Local agency possible (usually 10 to 14 weeks) |
How much time and money does each option take?
Staff time is often forgotten. The figures below are a 2026 ballpark for a school of 100 to 200 children, drawn from typical quotes by Southeast Florida agencies and public freelance rates.
| Option | Build price | Usual timeline | School staff time (estimate) | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local agency | $15,000 to 35,000 | 10 to 14 weeks | 30 to 40 hours (workshops, approvals) | often included |
| Local freelancer | $4,000 to 10,000 | 6 to 12 weeks | 20 to 30 hours (copy often left to you) | extra, $1,500 to 3,000 |
| Kolonell Starter | $2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | 6 to 10 hours | extra |
| Kolonell Growth | $4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | 6 to 10 hours | extra |
| Kolonell Premium (multilingual) | $8,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | 8 to 12 hours | extra |
All three Kolonell tiers include a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English copywriting and 3 months of support; maintenance afterwards is on quote. Details are on the international offer page.
When to prefer the local agency
A Palm Beach or West Palm Beach agency is the right call if your visual identity needs a rework, if you want classroom video produced by a team that knows consent rules, or if your board wants in-person presentations. A small school may also value someone who drops by regularly to refresh photos. The remote studio fits when the message is clear, the imagery exists and you would rather put the savings into tours and welcoming families.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Will the domain and hosting be in the school's name? Require it in writing.
- How many hours of our team's time will the project need, week by week?
- Does tour booking connect to our calendar or admissions software (integration on quote at Kolonell)?
- How are photos handled for children who leave or whose consent is withdrawn?
- What happens after the 3 included months of support?
Compliance: young children, data, accessibility
- Photos of children: written parental consent, renewed each year, never a first name next to a nursery child's face.
- Forms: ask only what you need (parent name, child's age, preferred start date) and describe the use in the privacy notice. COPPA covers commercial online services directed at children under 13; a site aimed at parents is rarely in scope, but check with counsel.
- Licensing: if your nursery is state-licensed or takes part in VPK, state it exactly as on your official documents.
- Accessibility: target WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA; secular private schools generally fall under ADA Title III, religious schools are exempt.
This is not legal advice.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Catherine Doyle heads "Seagrape Day School," a fictional school of 140 children from age 2 to grade 5, with 30 nursery places. She compares two options.
- Local agency: $22,000 and about 36 hours of staff time (12 workshops of 1.5 hours with two people: 12 × 1.5 × 2 = 36).
- Kolonell Growth: $4,900, plus $2,000 for a half-day with a local photographer, and about 8 hours of staff time (4 one-hour video calls with two people: 4 × 1 × 2 = 8).
Savings: $22,000 minus $6,900 = $15,100 and 28 hours of leadership time freed in the middle of tour season. Catherine puts part of the savings into two extra open mornings.
FAQ
Is a $2,900 site enough for a small school?
Starter covers a clear presentation site; Growth at $4,900 adds more pages and features, useful for detailing nursery, primary and extended care. For a school of 100 to 200 children, Growth is often the right balance.
Do we need several languages in Palm Beach?
Not always. If a large share of your families speaks Spanish, Portuguese or French at home, Premium at $8,900 is the multilingual tier; the number of languages is set in the quote.
Can parents book a tour online?
Yes, a link to your booking tool is immediate; a connection to your admissions software is priced on quote and usually takes 1 to 2 extra weeks.
How much time should our team set aside?
With a remote studio, count 6 to 12 hours in total, spread over 3 to 4 weeks. Request a free quote to receive a week-by-week schedule.
When should we start?
Tours often cluster between fall and the start of the calendar year; start at least 6 weeks before your first open morning.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your age groups, tour dates and budget, and we will propose a fixed scope delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.