School administration software is a cloud-based platform that can be used to manage day-to-day administrative tasks in schools. These platforms allow schools to automate daily tasks like resource management, daily attendance update, generation of report cards, and more. It also keeps a record of all the information about student’s performance over the years. So, parents and teachers can keep track of students’ academic progress and better understand their academic needs.
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Why should one use a School Management Software?
The school management platform saves a lot of time and reduces the chances of manual error significantly. This platform integrates seamlessly with the school operations and offers a constructive academic experience to all the students. Using the information provided by the software, school administration can also customize their curriculum to make it more tailored.
Schools today prefer management platforms for delivering high-speed services. In addition, these platforms also ensure that all the data saved on its server is encrypted and secure. Currently, the school management system market is expected to reach USD 25.7 billion by the year 2027 with a CAGR of 17.7%. Powered with cloud computing and paperless processes, there are several school management tools now available in the market. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 open-source and free school management software in 2021.
What should users look for in a School Management Software?
Every school management differs from another in terms of operation scale, management style, documentation preferences, and more. To achieve maximum efficiency in administrative tasks, one has to understand the needs of management first. Following are key modules that users should add to their checklist while choosing a school management system to ensure efficient and seamless operation.
- Online registration
- Student information system
- School fee management
- Exam-result management
- Student performance record
- Library management
- Inventory management
- Transport and GPS
- Attendance management
- Financial accounting
- Staff payroll management
In addition, the following features should be preferred for hassle-free smooth operation.
- Personalized access
- Easy-to-use UI
- ERP integration
- Dynamic plugins
- Live support
- Multi-user functionality
- Customizable modules
- Data security and back-up
- SMS and email integration
- Cloud facilitation
Which are the 5 best open-source and free school management software?
Following are the 5 best open-source and free school management software in 2021. In this article, we have also listed the key features, pricing details, pros, and cons for each software to help you make an informed decision.
- Fedena – All-in-one school management software
Fedena is an open-source and free school management software. It offers a complete management suite with rich features. This platform can be used to automate administrative tasks. It encourages parent-teacher collaborations that help in better understanding of students’ needs.
Fedena can be used for fee management, attendance management, automating online payments, creating timetables, managing grade reports, conducting online exams, and tracking assignments. It also offers online storage space for saving and maintaining complete student records including their personal details, performance reports, curriculum, progress charts, and more.
Key features of Fedena include:
- Online registration
- Financial management
- Student information record
- Assessment management
- Event calendar
- School fee management
- Exam-result management
- Curriculum management
- Student performance record
- Library management
- Enrollment management
- Inventory management
- Transport and GPS
- Admissions management
- Attendance management
- Email integration
- Data security
- Bookstore management
- Staff payroll management
Technical details
| Customer Support | 24X7 live online customer support |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for businesses of all sizes |
| SW score | 89% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Seamless integration, Active customer support and follow-up, Easy-to-use UI |
| Cons | The installation process can be tedious and lengthy process. |
Pricing
Fedena is an open-source student information system. It offers a free trial on all its paid subscription plans that start at $1004.41/year. Users can also customize their subscription modules based on their organization’s needs.
- feKara – Mobile compatible school management software
feKara is an all-in-one school management platform. It is a cloud-based software with remote accessibility. It can be operated easily on smartphones and tablets. It is convenient to use not only by school administration but also by staff members from remote locations. This helps them keep track of the courses, batches, assignments, exams, budgeting, and more.
feKara can be used to automate repetitive administrative tasks such as maintaining records of fees, admissions, attendance, timetables, progress reports, and more. feKara allows email integration that administration can utilize to send out bulk emails to staff and parents about the latest updates or changes. It can also be used to conduct active and regular feedback surveys to understand the needs of students and employees better.
Key features of feKara include:
- Financial management
- Student management
- Assessment management
- School fee management
- Faculty management
- Curriculum management
- Student performance record
- Library management
- Enrollment management
- Facility management
- Admissions management
- Attendance management
- Email integration
- Data security
- Bookstore management
- Online registration
- Event calendar
- Inventory management
- Transport and GPS
- Parent portal
- Staff payroll management
Technical details
| Customer Support | 24X7 live online customer support |
| API integration | NA |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for all large, medium, and small educational institutions. |
| SW score | 85% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | ScalableSeamless integrationMobile compatibilityIntuitive UI |
| Cons | The grading system is not compatible with this software |
Pricing
feKara offers a freemium plan for public use. It also offers a free trial with all its paid subscription plans that start at $8.30/month. Users also have an option of buying a one-time license of the software to avail lifetime access.
- PowerSchool – Unified K-12 powered school management software
PowerSchool offers a consolidated school management platform. It is a K-12 integrated tool and is considered to be one of the top 10 school management software. PowerSchool has taken school management to a different level. It aims at establishing a unified platform where administration, teachers, and parents can come together for understanding the needs of students to help them reach their full potential.
PowerSchool offers a range of educational elements like virtual professional development, hybrid scheduling & attendance, social-emotional learning, blended learning, and more. Users can post updates, conduct discussion sessions, and collaborate through this platform to reap maximum benefit for both students and the school.
Key features of PowerSchool include:
- Academic reporting
- Attendance tracking
- Classroom management
- Enrollment management
- Faculty management
- Library management
- Student portal
- Parent portal
- Admission management
- Behavior management
- Event calendar
- Assessment management
- Bookstore management
- Curriculum management
- Facility management
- Email integration
- Student information record
Technical details
| Customer Support | Online customer support during business hours |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for all large, medium, and small educational institutions. |
| SW score | 98% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Grade system compatibilitySeamless integrationScalabilityRegular status reports |
| Cons | Processing speed is a little slow with this software |
Pricing
PowerSchool offers a free trial on all its paid subscription plans. Users can customize the operational modules based on their organization’s needs.
- Skyward School Management – Simplified school management solution
Skyward offers simplified school management software. It offers a range of features that can be used by faculties, parents, and school administration. Through this platform, parents can also review and evaluate the school’s performance and progress against a set of standard parameters.
Skyward is a cloud-based application with simplified and transparent classroom management features. It also promotes family engagement and students’ participation in a complete school information system (SIS) experience. In addition, Skyward School Management software also offers online courses to facilitate homeschooling. Other services offered by Skyward School Management software include enrollment, registration, grade book, state reporting, curriculum management, behavior management, fee management, food and health services, IT services, etc.
Key features of Skyward School Management include:
- Classroom management
- Enrollment management
- Academic reporting
- Attendance tracking
- Faculty management
- Library management
- Data security
- Email integration
- Student information record
- Event calendar
- Assessment management
- Staff payroll management
- Bookstore management
- Student portal
- Parent portal
- Admission management
- Behavior management
- Curriculum management
- Facility management
Technical details
| Customer Support | Online customer support during business hours |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud, Android/iOS |
| Scalability | Suitable for all large and medium educational institutions. |
| SW score | 92% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Seamless integrationRegular status reportsGrade system compatibilityEasy-to-use UI |
| Cons | The software can improve in terms of customization to make it more tailored. |
Pricing
PowerSchool offers a free trial on all its paid subscription plans. Users can customize the operational modules based on their organization’s needs.
- FreshSchools – Best management tool for K-12 academic institutes
FreshSchools is another school management software that offers K-12 integration. It is a cloud-based software with additional compatibility with mobile phone operating systems including Android and iOS. This allows parents and school staff to stay connected with the system even from remote locations.
FreshSchools is a free school management software. It offers a range of features to facilitate communication between school administration, staff, parents, and students. It also promotes fundraising activities to encourage teamwork and help students have a great work ethic. In addition, FreshSchools provides real-time updates to parents and teachers to keep them up to date with the curriculum and students’ academic performance.
Key features of FreshSchools include:
- Fundraising management
- Faculty management
- Scheduling
- Classroom management
- Student information record
- Classroom management
- K-12
- Enrollment management
- Academic reporting
- Attendance tracking
- Student portal
- Event calendar
- Parent portal
- Curriculum management
- Facility management
- Data security
- Email integration
- Library management
- Assessment management
- Staff payroll management
- Admission management
Technical details
| Customer Support | Online customer support during business hours |
| API integration | NA |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud, Android/iOS |
| Scalability | Suitable for medium and small-sized educational institutions. |
| SW score | 80% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Great communication portalSeamless integration with administrative tasksActive customer support Easy-to-use UI |
| Cons | The installation process can be lengthy and time-consuming. |
Pricing
FreshSchools offers a freemium plan for public use. It also offers a free trial on all its paid subscription plans that start at $60/month. There are separate subscription plans available for different scales of operation. Users can choose a custom-made plan based on their organization’s needs.
Conclusion
School management software is a cloud-based platform utilized by many schools in recent years. This platform can be used to automate repetitive administrative tasks that can often be time-consuming and prone to manual errors.
School management software is an intuitive platform that has gained increasing popularity in the educational sector. Although there are many management software options available in the market that offer paid and free services, it is better to start by exploring free platforms first if you are a beginner. This will not only make you well versed with the software but will also help you invest smartly and get services that are more tailored to your needs.
In this article, we have shortlisted the top 5 open-source and free school management software in 2021. We have also discussed and compared their key features and pricing to help you make an informed decision. However, if you have any further questions or you wish to explore more options, you may get in touch with us at SaaSworthy.
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