Many people in the world today are looking for ways to make their day-to-day tasks easier. Some of these people are principals, administrators, and others that work in school management. Many school management systems have been introduced in the market and many more are still being developed every now and then. Their aim is to make an affordable school management system that is easy to operate.
Types of Affordable School Management Systems
There are mainly three types of low-cost school management software: individual, shared, and enterprise-based systems.
An individual school management system is the best for schools that do not need to collaborate with other institutions on a day-to-day basis. The good news is that there are free software solutions available, the bad news is that they might not be as efficient as the paid ones.
Advantages of Individual School Management Systems
- Have a local backup facility which ensures that no data is lost in case anything goes wrong with the system.
- Do not require any special software to run.
- No internet connection requirement and it will never go down.
- Affordable to set up and manage. However, users will have to rely on technology that is not as advanced as the one available in enterprise-based systems.
Disadvantages of Individual School Management Systems
- Might not be as user-friendly as enterprise-based systems.
- Will only be able to store one school’s data at a time and it can never be shared with other schools or institutions. But if you are working with a tight budget, then this will be ideal for you.
Advantages of Shared School Management Systems
- Can be accessed from different locations at any time of the day using a single login account. This reduces costs for your school since you do not have to invest in a separate system for different branches.
- The school management system has a back-up facility which ensures that no data is lost even if the system fails.
- Able to collaborate with other institutions and share documents easily.
- 24/7 support available.
Disadvantages of Shared School Management Systems
- Might be more expensive than individual school management systems
- Require an internet connection to allow users to access the system
Advantages of Enterprise-Based Systems
- Are stable and can never fail.
- Have a better security system compared to the other two types of school management systems
- Reduces human error since there is no requirement for manual data entry
- Automatic backups in case something goes wrong with the system
- Accessed by all branches of your institution
- Software upgrades available without affecting the other users
Disadvantages of Enterprise-Based Systems
- Very expensive to set up and manage
- Require a high bandwidth connection which can lead to additional expenses if you do not have the bandwidth
Tips to Finding an Affordable School Management System
- Before you consider which school management system to use for your institution, always look for reviews and recommendations from students and parents. There are many reviews available online that can help with this task. You should also check with the developer’s website to see if they have any special offers or discounts especially for educational institutions
- Make sure that you contact a company capable of customizing a school management system that suits your needs. They should also provide training services to help you get started
- Check for a trial version of their school management system so that you can test it before making the decision to purchase. This will give you insight on how to use the software and save time when implementing it in your institution
- Always set up a meeting with one of their customer service representatives so that you can learn about the system first-hand. The representative should be able to answer all your questions and address any concerns
- If you can, look for an enterprise-based school management system because they are stable and secure. They are also scalable, allowing you to increase productivity as your institution grows
By choosing the right affordable school management system to save costs, in the long run, you avoid having to deal with constant repairs. The system only needs to be operational for it to function well. Also, if the data is stored locally then there is no risk of losing any data which makes individual systems a great option for small schools.
The best system to choose will depend on your needs and budget. Consider the number of users you want to have access to the school management system at any given time, if there are several branches that need to be managed, then an enterprise-based system is the way forward. If you only have one branch with limited funds, then an individual or shared system will be ideal.
SchoolCues is an all-in-one school management system for small schools with limited budgets and resources. Our solutions include admissions and enrollment, online payments, student information system, gradebook, communications, parent engagement, donations and fundraising, alumni management and more. Schedule a demo with us today.