40% of students come through referrals; 70% of schools have no referral program
Where students come from, median for the October 2026 edition: in primary schools, 50% come through referrals and 40% through ads; in universities, 30% and 60%. And 70% of institutions have no referral program at all.
Referrals are the cheapest channel and the one that brings in families most like the ones you already have. Leaving it to chance is giving away half the funnel. A referral program is not a discount: it is asking at the right moment, of the right family, with a process that records it.
How many students did referrals bring you last school year? And how many would they bring if you asked every happy family?
The table behind the chart
| Item | Referrals | Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Primary schools | 50% | 40% |
| High schools | 50% | 38% |
| Universities | 30% | 60% |
| Figure | What it is |
|---|---|
| 70% | have no referral program (n = 40) |
Where it comes from
Share of students who arrive through referrals and through ads, as reported by the director (median by level). Sample: 102 Enrollment X-Rays completed between March and October 2026 with owners and directors of 102 private institutions in 69 Mexican cities. These are institutions that requested the diagnostic, not the country. Median, not average: one school with 7,000 students skews the average and makes it lie. n = 32 / 14 / 39 / 93 (primary schools, high schools, universities, all).
Median before average; no figure based on fewer than 5 institutions is published. Full methodology.
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This data point airs as a YouTube Short (in Spanish) on November 13 at 7:30 p.m. Mexico City time. See the series playlist
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