Case Study: Concordia International School Shanghai achieves a Best‑in‑Class, China‑optimized website with Finalsite

Concordia International School Shanghai drops Wordpress to go Best-in-Class with Finalsite

Concordia International School Shanghai, a Preschool–Grade 12 school founded in 1998, needed a website that truly reflected its community and served families around the world. Their heavily customized WordPress installation had become hard to maintain—numerous plugins and bespoke modifications caused platform conflicts, slow access in China, and a cumbersome backend for the Communications team. They also required China‑specific features (WeChat integration and localized embeds) and wanted a distinctive, non‑cookie‑cutter virtual campus for prospective families.

Concordia chose Finalsite for its managed platform and local personalization, working together to build a responsive, storytelling‑driven site that preserved the school’s brand while simplifying content management. The new site improved access and speed in China, made academic and staff resources easier to find (reducing printing costs), added a virtual concierge, increased user satisfaction, and launched successfully in April 2016 with ongoing staff ownership and maintenance plans.

Concordia International School Shanghai

Kelly Jo Larson

Senior Director of Communications and Strategic Planning