Upfront Conclusion
The best crm systems for private schools right now is HubSpot and Salesforce
Private schools have vast volumes of data they need to take in, keep, and connect on a periodic basis, even going farther than student academic performance.
There are a lot of different CRMs out there. But which one is the best for private schools?
We’ve done the research and compiled a list of the best CRMs for private schools, so you can make an informed decision about which one is right for your school.
Top 9 CRM for Private Schools
| Brand | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. HubSpot | $50/month | Customised and Secure Experience |
| 2. Salesforce | $25/month | Overall Experience |
| 3. Zoho CRM for Education | $14/month | Improving Efficient Management |
| 4. SchoolAdmin | Available upon quote request | Improving School Communication |
| 5. Graduway | Available upon quote request | Alumni Student Management |
| 6. Maestro SIS | Available upon quote request | Student Information Tracking |
| 7. Blackbaud CRM | Available upon quote request | Positive All-Round Experience |
| 8. Radius By Campus Management | Available upon quote request | Data-Driven School Management |
| 9. SchoolMint | Available upon quote request | Complete Private School Management |
1. HubSpot – Best CRM for a Customised and Secure Experience
Pricing: $50 per month per two users (free plan available)
HubSpot is a leader when it comes to sales and marketing automation. It’s used by some of the biggest brands in the world, but it’s also great for small businesses and schools. HubSpot Sales gives you the ability to track emails, automate tasks, and keep all your data in one place so you can close more deals.
Key Features:
- Powerful sales features
- Great for small businesses and schools
- A ton of automated features to make completing tasks easy
Reasons to Buy:
- Can be used for tracking student relationships, enrollment processes, and connecting with students and parents
- The affordable and scalable pricing structure
- Trusted by over 135,000+ users worldwide
Reasons to Avoid:
- The free plan is very limited
- Not a dedicated school CRM; therefore, some features may be unnecessary
2. Salesforce – Best CRM for Improving School Communication
Pricing: $25 per user per month
Salesforce is one of the most popular CRMs on the market. It’s used by big businesses and small businesses alike. Salesforce for Schools is an excellent solution for those in the education industry. It offers features such as paperless admissions, student management, staff collaboration, and more.
While Salesforce is typically used for businesses and marketing efforts, the platform has a specialised Salesforce Education CRM section that optimises the software for an education environment, especially K-12 operations.
Key Features:
- Great for schools of all sizes
- Offers paperless admissions
- Has a student management feature
Reasons to Buy:
- One of the most popular CRMs on the market
- Has a wide range of features
- It can be customised to fit your specific needs
Reasons to Avoid:
- The price can be expensive for some schools
- Some features may be unnecessary for your school
3. Zoho CRM for Education – Best CRM for Improving Efficient Management
Pricing: $14 per month per user
Zoho CRM is a great CRM for small businesses. But it’s also good for schools. Zoho CRM for Education offers features such as admissions management, student information management, alumni tracking, and more. Some of the features that will catch your eye include tracking donations, managing school events, and creating custom reports.
Key Features:
- Admissions management
- Student information management
- Alumni tracking
- Ability to track donations
- Manage school events
- Create custom reports
Reasons to Buy:
- Affordable pricing
- A lot of features specifically for schools
- Can be used for small or large schools
Reasons to Avoid:
- Not as well-known as some of the other CRMs on this list
4. SchoolAdmin – Best CRM for Overall Experience
Pricing: Available upon quote request
SchoolAdmin is a cloud-based CRM specifically designed for K-12 schools. It offers a free trial. As the name suggests, this is an all-in-one solution that gives you access to every feature you could want. These include paperless admissions and enrollment functions, tuition management, mass text and email sending, relationship tracking, and even strategic management control.
Key Features:
- All-in-one solution
- Cloud-based
- Industry-leading customer support team
Reasons to Buy:
- Great for K-12 schools
- Keeps communication effortless between all staff]
- Incredibly optimised and initiative user interface
Reasons to Avoid:
- Integrates to other platforms can sometimes be hit and miss
- Large learning curve if never used before
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5. Graduway – Best CRM for Alumni Student Management
Pricing: Available but requested quote only (free trial available)
Graduway is a cloud-based CRM specifically designed for alumni relations. But it’s also great for schools that want to keep track of their alumni. Graduway offers features such as online community management, event management, mentoring programs, and more.
Some of the key features that make this CRM stand out are the ability to create an online community for your alumni, manage events, and create a mentoring program.
Key Features:
- Online community management
- Event management
- Mentoring program management and support
Reasons to Buy:
- Designed specifically for alumni relations
- A lot of features specifically for alumni relations
- Can be used for small or large schools
- Connect with over 2,000 existing users to better your experience
Reasons to Avoid:
- Only offers features related to alumni relations
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6. Maestro SIS – Best CRM for Student Information Tracking
Pricing: Free trial with quotes upon request
Maestro SIS is a school information system that’s also great for schools that want to keep track of their alumni. Maestro SIS offers features such as admissions management, student information management, alumni tracking, and more.
Some key features to pay attention to include the ability to track donations, manage school events, and create custom reports while monitoring the grades of students, as well as receiving analytics on your student base and classes (figures like attendance and average performance stats)
Key Features:
- Admissions management
- Student information management
- Alumni tracking
- Ability to track donations
- Manage school events
- Create custom reports
Reasons to Buy:
- A lot of features specifically for schools
- Can be used for small or large schools
Reasons to Avoid:
- The price can be expensive for some schools
- Some features may be unnecessary for your school
7. Blackbaud CRM – Best CRM for a Positive All-Round Experience
Pricing: Quote available upon request (free trial available)
If you’re looking for a comprehensive CRM that offers a little bit of everything, Blackbaud might be the right choice for your school. Blackbaud offers products for alumni relations, admissions, development, and more. And while Blackbaud might be a little pricey for some schools, the features and functionality it offers are worth the price.
Key Features:
- Alumni relations admissions management
- Based in the cloud for easy and secure access
- Enrollment and learning management tools as standard
Reasons to Buy:
- Offers a little bit of everything
- Features and functionality are worth the price
- Can be used for small or large schools
- 1 in 3 Fortune 500 companies trust this application
Reasons to Avoid:
- The price can be expensive for some schools
- The interface can get complicated if inexperienced
8. Radius By Campus Management – Best CRM for Data-Driven School Management
Pricing: Quotes by request only
Radius by Campus Management offers a lot of the same features as other CRMs on this list. But what sets Radius apart is its focus on data-driven decision making. With Radius, you can make decisions based on data rather than gut feeling. And that’s a valuable feature for any school.
Yes, it can be complicated to use, and the learning curve is considered steep, especially when compared with other platforms. However, the minimal setup and powerful features that deliver actionable insights could be precisely what you’re looking for.
Key Features:
- Data-driven decision making
- Minimal setup
- Two-way secure chat features for students and educators
- Powerful workflow automation that’s heavily customisable
Reasons to Buy:
- The ability to make decisions based on data
- Can be used for small or large schools
Reasons to Avoid:
- The interface can get complicated if inexperienced
- The learning curve is considered steep
9. SchoolMint – Best CRM for Complete Private School Management
Pricing: Available upon request only
SchoolMint is a great CRM for private schools because it offers a lot of features specifically for private schools. Some of these features include admissions management, financial aid management, and school communications.
SchoolMint is actually an umbrella term, and underneath you’ll find systems and processes like SchoolMint Engage, Connect, Enroll, Hero, Grow, and Schoolrunner. These are all services that are designed to make your school run more smoothly and ensure previously complicated processes are made easy.
Key Features:
- Admissions management
- Financial aid management
- School communications that are secure and easy
- Document tracking and submission status monitoring
Reasons to Buy:
- A lot of features specifically for private schools
- Can be used for small or large schools
- Easy to track and verify data of all types across your school
Reasons to Avoid:
- Creating all the data reports can be a bit time-consuming
- Some reported bugs that need to be fixed on most releases
Frequently Asked Questions
Do schools actually use CRM?
Yes, schools actually use CRM. In fact, CRM is becoming increasingly popular in the education sector. Schools use CRM to manage admissions, alumni relations, development, and more.
They are becoming increasingly popular, specifically in K-12 education sectors, because they provide a 360-degree view of your institution’s data and performance. CRMs give administrators the ability to manage their recruitment, enrollment, advancement, and retention processes in a more efficient way.
What are the benefits of using a CRM for a school?
There are many benefits of using a CRM for a school. Some of these benefits include managing admissions, tracking and verifying data, automating processes, and improving communication.
This sounds simple, but even such changes can make such a big difference. For example, if a class needs to hand in a consent form for something, you can effortlessly track to ensure everyone is handing it in, that the documents are filled out properly, and who still needs to be chased up to hand them.
This saves so much time and energy, especially when the chasing up notifications can be sent out automatically. This same logic can be applied to enrollment documents of sorts, parent-teacher communications, and even homework and essays.
Is it worth getting a CRM for private schools?
Yes, it is worth getting a CRM for private schools. A CRM can help schools manage admissions, track and verify data, automate processes, and improve communication. All of these things can save the school time and money. This allows you to focus on what’s important: educating your students and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
The smoother everything runs, the better your schooling experience will be, and therefore the happier your students and parents will be. Ultimately, this will help you become an even more successful and reputable school.
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