Whether you call it a school management system, school management software or a school ERP, the feature list is long, and most of them look the same. The useful question is not "how many features?" but "which ones will we use every week, and which will gather dust?"
This checklist splits features into three groups: the essentials you should not compromise on, the valuable extras, and the nice-to-haves.
Essential features
1. Learner records
- One profile per learner with admission number, class, guardians and contacts
- Bulk import from a spreadsheet, so you do not retype hundreds of names
- Search by name or admission number
- Documents and notes attached to the record
2. Attendance
- Mark a class register in under a minute
- Daily and termly summaries
- Visible absence patterns
More in our guide to school attendance systems.
3. Marks and CBC report cards
- Enter marks per subject and assessment
- Automatic grading with the CBC bands (EE1 to BE2). See the CBC grading guide
- Teacher comments, with room for personalised notes (see report card comment examples)
- Report cards for a whole class in one go, as PDF
4. Fee management
- Fee structures per class and term, with each item listed separately
- Payments by method: M-Pesa, bank, cash
- Receipts, balances and arrears reports
- M-Pesa payments matched to the right learner
See fee management and M-Pesa reconciliation.
5. Roles and permissions
- Different access for headteacher, bursar, secretary, teachers and parents
- Teachers limited to their own classes
- An audit log showing who changed what
6. Data export and backup
- Export learners, fees and results in standard formats
- Backups handled by the provider
- A clear answer to "what happens to our data if we leave?"
Valuable extras
These pay off once the core is running.
- Parent portal: parents see balances, results and report cards themselves. See why a parent portal matters.
- Timetable management: avoids teacher clashes and prints per class or teacher. See timetable software.
- SMS and messaging: notices to parents, fee reminders, absence alerts.
- Dashboards: attendance rate, fee collection and arrears at a glance for the head.
- Staff attendance and leave: useful for larger staff teams.
Nice-to-haves
Useful for some schools, irrelevant to others:
- Transport routes and fees
- Library cataloguing
- Payroll
- Visitor logs
- Lesson plan storage
Do not let these tip the decision. A system that is excellent at fees and report cards but basic at the library is a better choice than the reverse.
Features that sound good but need a question
| Feature claim | What to ask |
|---|---|
| "AI-powered" | What exactly does it do for my teachers or bursar? Can I see it? |
| "Fully customisable" | Who customises it, how long does it take, and is it charged? |
| "Unlimited users" | Are parent accounts included? Is there a per-feature charge? |
| "Works offline" | Which parts, and how does it sync? |
| "Integrates with everything" | Specifically with M-Pesa, and how? |
How to test features properly
Do not judge from a brochure. Run a short trial with real data:
- Import one class from your spreadsheet.
- Set up the fee structure for that class.
- Record a few real payments and print a receipt.
- Enter marks and print a report card.
- Ask the bursar and a teacher to use it for a week.
Whoever will use the system daily should have a say. The best feature list in the world fails if the bursar finds it confusing.
Using this list
Print the essentials and tick them off for each provider you compare, including DiraSchool. For the wider decision, including price, support and data security, use our 15-question checklist.
DiraSchool covers the essentials above, plus a parent portal, timetables and transport. You can create an account and test them with your own class before deciding anything.
Related: Not sure about the terminology? See school ERP vs school management system.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-have features of a school management system?
Learner records, attendance, marks and report cards with the correct grading scale, fee management with receipts, role-based access, and data export. For Kenyan schools, add CBC grading and M-Pesa support.
Which features can wait until later?
Library, transport, payroll, visitor logs and lesson plans are useful but rarely decide success. Get the core modules working first, then switch the rest on.
Should a school management system have a mobile app?
It helps, but a web-based system that works well in a phone browser is often enough. Check how it behaves on a slow connection before deciding.
Can I export my data if I leave?
You should be able to. Ask this before you sign up, and confirm which formats are supported.