Purpose: While the role of relationship marketing to consumers' overall satisfaction with schools has been discussed in the education management literature, empirical studies on the marketing mechanisms that underpin school-customer relationships are limited. The purpose of this paper is to establish the association between market orientation (MO) in the school context and key relationship marketing performance indicators. Design/methodology/approach: MO and four relationship constructs (brand trust, affective commitment, attitudinal loyalty, and advocacy) were measured using existing and established scales from the education and behavioral literatures. A model reflecting causal ordering derived from the literature and an understanding of school-customer relationships was developed. Data were collected from 205 parents of school-aged children in the USA and analyzed using structural equation analysis. Findings: Results show that a positive relationship between market-oriented behaviors of school organizations and three of the identified indicators of successful school relationship marketing (affective commitment, attitudinal loyalty, and advocacy) are mediated by brand trust. Originality/value: The study contributes to an understanding of the theoretical relationship between market-oriented behaviors and relationship marketing for schools. The results suggest that, for school organizations, MO impacts important outcomes and thus may be vital to sustainability and growth.