Last updated by Kasey Murphy on 12/22/2023

Operating a school, school programs, and personnel is no easy task, there are lots of operating parts that function in order to make everything work. There are so many administrators and people in charge of different parts of a school. So, why would you trust only one software to do all of your tasks in a school? 

There are so many different school software systems that aim to help schools stay organized with different aspects of operating a school. But, you might have some problems or situations sorted without a school software system - and that’s great! 

Think of the issues that you do have with your school operational procedures, or some things that could definitely be updated. Is school volunteer hour tracking or school community service one of them? Or is how school trips and classes are scheduled something that could be improved? 

The good thing is - there is a school software program out there to help, you just need to figure out which one is the best for you at this point! 

School Scheduling Software 

Schools and administrations have a lot of different schedules to manage and organize. If your school needs help with master schedules or student specific schedules - school scheduling software is what you are looking for. 

School scheduling software helps you create timetables for events, classes, appointments and more. You can find software that helps you create shifts, see overlapping schedules, and allow people to sign up for certain school schedules and events. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed with schedules, rosters, and events - school software can help you manage this and can help organize other parts of your school too if you are creative!

School Management Software 

School management software is one of the most broad software you can get. It’s important to note if you purchase a software package that advertises itself as “school management software,” that it might not be as specific and have specific features that you would like. Or it might have a lot of features that aren’t quite perfected. 

School management software can have features to help with admission, keeping track of school success within current students and past students, showcase financial budgets and manage those, and keep track of administrative duties and new procedures. 

School management software is great for schools that need a general guideline of how to organize different projects and targets within a school. It is also great for schools that wish to combine some of there processes under one software system. 

Be aware with school management systems that some features you might need may not be the absolute best. If you are looking for a software system that prioritizes and is the absolute best at one specific feature, it might be better for you to use one stand alone school software. 

School Community Service Software or School Volunteer Hour Tracker 

These two software systems are very similar and often can be used interchangeably. A school community service software will help display student guidelines for doing community service as well as list opportunities for students to volunteer. It might even have a creature where students can sign up for community service events. 

A school volunteer hour tracking software can keep track of students’ volunteer hours and track their progress towards a goal or requirement. This can be especially good for high school students that need a certain amount of volunteer hours to graduate. School volunteer hour tracking software can have multiple options for volunteer hours to be recorded like an hour log form system, a digital sign-in sheet, or through an event calendar. Some volunteer hour tracking software can even have an hour approval feature for administrators to check off and approve of volunteer hours. 

Parent Volunteer or Parent Commitment Tracker 

Another option for school software is parent volunteer software or a software system that incorporates tracking parent commitment. This is usually more popular for Charter Schools or for schools with younger students. 

You can use a volunteer management system or a school community service software for parent commitment hours. Track PTA sign-ups and at-home volunteer hours with this type of software. If you use a volunteer management system or community service software system you should be able to add a category or organize your system to have a parent volunteer section. 

If you are looking for community service software, school volunteer hour tracking software, or a parent commitment hour software - we have a suggestion! 

Track It Forward creates multiple options for students and schools to track volunteer hours. Students can have their own dashboard to check their own hours and log hours if that’s how the school decides to do it like this. Student volunteer hours can be tracked very easily and schools can keep up with student progress as well. In addition, Track it Forward offers a single sign-on integration with Clever. If your school uses Clever, then this is the perfect solution to allow students to track volunteer hours securely using their existing Clever credentials!

You can see exactly how a high school program uses Track It Forward here. 

With all of the different school software out there for you to choose from, you want to make sure that your top priorities are being fulfilled. 

We created a workbook on finding the best volunteer management software, here. You can use this workbook and steps for any type of school software you look into!