Blackbaud previews AI admissions tool for K-12 private schools

Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) announced a set of AI-driven tools for independent K-12 schools at its 2026 K-12 User Conference in Boston on July 16, including a preview of a new Admissions Agent currently in development.

The Admissions Agent is part of Blackbaud's broader "Agents for Good" agentic AI suite. The tool is designed to guide prospective families through the admissions process, provide answers to applicant questions, send personalized follow-up communications, and identify where prospective families drop off during the process. Blackbaud said it plans to launch an early adopter program to gather input from school administrators before a broader release.

The company also announced several other AI-embedded capabilities across its Total School Solution platform, including Candidate Insights for predictive enrollment data, an AI Chat tool that allows administrators to query school data in plain language, a Common Records Engine that syncs data between Blackbaud's Student Information System and Raiser's Edge NXT in real time, and a new Enrollment Contracts capability to streamline contract adjustments.

Additional features include Student Success Insights to flag at-risk students, a Parent Initiated Attendance feature for submitting absences through a portal, enhancements to its Learning Management System, and an AI-enabled Collections Assistant for school finance teams.

"Research shows that teachers and staff spend over 50% of their time on administrative work," said Mark Davis, vice president and general manager of education products at Blackbaud. "At Blackbaud we're integrating AI into the tools they use every day to reduce that burden."

The announcements were made at Blackbaud's annual K-12 User Conference, a three-day event for school administrators and educators. The information in this article is based on a press release issued by Blackbaud.

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