Website in a Box

A complete website program that doesn't fall apart when people move on.

Your school needs a website. Not a static page nobody updates, and not something that falls apart the moment the person who built it moves on. You need a real, working site that parents actually use — and ideally, one your students helped build.

That's what Website in a Box is.

We provide everything your school, PTO, or student group needs to launch a professional website and keep it running year after year: a ready-to-go WordPress site, a structured training program for students, canned layouts to get you started fast, and documentation so thorough that next year's club can pick up right where this year's left off.

One of our school sites has been running for over 12 years. The secret isn't magic — it's the right setup, the right guardrails, and students who actually know what they're doing.

Who This Is For

PTO/HSA

Site is out of date, no tech person on hand, can't call a developer every time something changes.

Teacher/Sponsor

Want students to build real skills — and a project the whole community actually uses.

School Admin

Need a professional parent-facing presence — news, calendar, staff info — without IT support.

Built So Students Can Run It

"A school website shouldn't be a burden on one volunteer parent. It should be a learning opportunity for the students who go there."

We started running Website Clubs in DC public schools because we believed students could do this — and they proved us right. High schoolers updating news posts. Middle schoolers building staff directories. Kids who had never touched a website leaving with real portfolio work.

The product exists because of that belief.  Our favorite projects are the ones where students run the show. We'll always help you find a way to make that happen.

What's In The Box

Ready to Launch WordPress Site

Configured, locked, guardrails built in. Theme and plugin decisions already made.

Canned Layouts

Elementary PTO, student club, high school — pick the one that fits. We apply it.

Student Training Course

Online course for students and volunteers, no prior experience needed. Practice site included.

Club Playbook

Roles, handoffs, onboarding next year's members. Built from 12+ years of running this.

Documentation

Written for whoever takes over next year, not for developers. Every install comes with its own.

What a School Website Actually Needs

We've built sites for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Here's what parents actually use:

News &
Announcements

School
Calendar

Staff
Directory

Clubs &
Activities

Athletics

Contact
Information

PTO/HSA
Info

(Community)

Course
Catalog

(add-on)

What this site is not is a Student Information System (SIS).  This is the community-facing site parents visit — not PowerSchool or any SIS. News, calendar, staff info. The other site — the one that makes your school look like it has its act together.

12+ Years

One of our DC school sites has been running continuously since we built it. Students have graduated. Staff has turned over. The site is still up, still used by parents, still being updated — because it was built with the right foundation and documented so anyone can take it over.

That's the goal of every Website in a Box installation.

 

How it Works

Choose Your Layout

Pick the canned layout that fits your school type. We walk you through the options.

We Set It Up

Install, configure, lock plugins, apply your layout. We hand off a site that's ready to use.

Students Train

Students and volunteers works through the training course on a practice site. No risk of breaking the real one.

Go Live -- and Hand Off

Club takes over the real site. Documentation and playbook mean next year's group can do the same.

Simple Pricing. You Own It.

Every package includes a full setup.  We hand off a site that's ready to use.

Essentials

Everything families need to stay informed

$ 3,000

  • Choice of three homepage layouts
  • News, calendar, and staff directory
  • Meeting minutes pages that are accessible and searchable
  • Grade-level or department pages
  • Clubs and athletics pages
  • Featured spots that fill automatically from tagged posts
  • Training course for students and volunteers
  • Playbook and documentation
  • Full setup and handoff

 

Essentials + Community

Plus the tools to run events, fundraisers, and reimbursements

$ 4,200

Everything in the Essentials, plus:

  • Reimbursement requests with automatic approval routing
  • Event pages and reusable signup forms for auditions, volunteers, and room parents
  • Fundraising and donation pages
  • PTA/PTSO/HSA event calendar
  • Forms and data that stay with your school, year after year

 

Add to either package

Course Catalog

For high schools. A full catalog students and families can search.

Add $1,000

Year-round Support - Basic

Plugin licenses, monthly updates and site checks

$900/year

Year-round Support - Plus

Everything in Basic plus 3 help hours and an annual handoff check-in for new volunteers and students.

$1,300/year

Custom Features

Need something the templates don't cover? We'll quote it.

Let's talk ->

Hosting is through our partner, about $250/yr, billed directly.
Have your own WordPress developer? Ask about a kit-only option.

Ready to give your school a real web presence?

Whether you're a PTO parent, a teacher with a vision for a student club, or a school administrator — let's build something your community can run, your students can learn from, and that's still standing years from now.