Think about the last time you bought a new suit or formal dress. Did you purchase it off the rack or did you have it tailored just for you? An off-the-rack outfit might look like it fits, but it’s not usually your perfect fit — the same goes for school software.
Many private schools settle for one-size-fits-all solutions that are marketed to public and private institutions alike, only to realize the system doesn’t understand the nuances of a private school community. Here are six reasons to adopt a private school SIS over a generic student information system.
Customizable Features
As a private school, you have your own set of values that define who you are as an institution. Your student information system should not only understand, but accommodate, these needs and flex to support your unique workflows and constituencies.
A basic SIS often includes standard features that are universally applicable but lacks the ability to customize the software to your school. Comparatively, a private school SIS is built with customization in mind. You can choose the specific modules, integrations, and features that best fit your community’s needs and tweak them as desired. As your school evolves, so should your software.
Academic Flexibility
Many private schools offer specialized academic programming and robust extracurricular activities not often found at public schools. A generic student information system might not be flexible enough to support your school’s specific academic structure.
A student information system like Veracross, on the other hand, understands these complexities and gives you the freedom of flexibility. You can format schedules, configure academic documents, and reflect your school’s unique voice with modifications like report cards in Hebrew.
Financial Management Tools
Public schools are funded by the government and have vastly different financial needs than private schools. They don’t need to worry about collecting tuition payments or raising funds to cover scholarships, for example. A generic student information system will support public funding and grants but may require a third-party integration for tuition management and development. This add-on is not only costly and inefficient for your business office but creates friction and a poor user experience for your families.
A private school SIS, however, knows that tuition is the lifeblood of an independent school. Tuition management is built into the system for a streamlined payment experience that accurately reflects your school’s billing cycle.
The same goes for development. Private schools rely heavily on financial support from their community. A private school SIS offers built-in development tools that allow for a deeply personal and data-driven approach to fundraising.
Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid
Similarly, public schools don’t think about admission and enrollment in the same way as private schools. Most out-of-the-box student information systems don’t even offer admissions, enrollment, or financial aid features, requiring private schools to purchase additional software to manage these areas.
A private school SIS knows that admission and enrollment is a critical function of your school. From customizable inquiry forms to campus visit management, integrated applications, tuition deposits, enrollment checklists and contract management, you can manage every step of the admission journey in one place. Veracross also offers a dedicated Admissions Portal that makes it easy for prospective and incoming families to access information and stay on top of enrollment tasks.
Alumni Management and Engagement
Private schools place a huge emphasis on community. Once a student graduates, they remain a valued member of your school forever. A private school SIS can help you maintain relationships with alumni and foster ongoing engagement through customizable alumni directories, event planning tools, and communication platforms.
The same is not always true for public schools. As such, a generic SIS may not understand the importance of alumni relationships or offer dedicated tools for outreach, limiting your ability to stay connected and rally support.
Enhanced Communication Tools
Compared to private schools, public schools often have higher enrollment and sit within a larger school district. Their communication needs vary greatly from private schools, which value interpersonal relationships and collaboration.
A one-size-fits-all SIS typically offers generic communication tools designed for the masses. They lack the ability to personalize messaging or send targeted communications to a highly specific group of people. A private school SIS is designed with communication in mind, offering robust communication platforms for every constituency including portals, newsletters, and event management tools.
Do you want to contact all parents of middle school athletes? You can do that. Need to remind development volunteers about an upcoming meeting? You can do that. By personalizing your communications, your school can increase the effectiveness of your messaging while decreasing the amount of unnecessary information being shared broadly.
The Benefits of a Private School SIS
Your school software should work for you — not the other way around. If your student information system is inflexible and hinders your ability to tailor your academic structure, collect payments, manage enrollment, connect with alumni, or personalize communication, your needs as a private school are not being met.
Looking for your perfect fit? Get in touch for a custom demo of Veracross, the student information system built for K-12 private and independent schools.
