The education sector has witnessed a drastic change in the past few months. Schools and colleges are exploring the digital concepts of the smart classroom.
The global education software is worth $10,439 million in 2021. The number is expected to increase to $11,294 by 2024.
SoftwareSuggest is India’s largest software discovery & recommendation platform. We provide free consultations on software and help SMEs to select the right software. As part of our business, we collect customer requirements, which, when analyzed, can serve the industry with deep insights.
We’ve been researching the school management software industry and have answered the following questions based on our data.
- What features buyers look for in school software?
- What is the budget for school management software buyers?
- Preferable type of software- web-based VS the installation based?
- The geographical spread of school management software buyers?
- Who is the decision-maker?
- The spread of software purchases over the year?
Looking for School Management Software? Check out SoftwareSuggest’s list of the best school management software solutions.
What were the features customers looked at while purchasing the school management software?
There are several important factors that prospective buyers look for in a smart school management software decision. Here are some of the top factors considered while purchasing school management software.
- Cloud-enabled
- Admission and recruitment management
- Student behavior and analytics
- Maintaining students, teachers, and staff database
- Managing the day-to-day activities of a school
- Curriculum management
- Examination and assessment management
- School and parents’ communication management
- Campus infrastructure and facilities (canteen, library, etc.) management
- Transport management
- Attendance management
- Alumni management
- SMS and email facility
First Time Buyers Vs Customer Upgrading their Software
As of 2015, 20% of the customers were existing users and were looking for an upgrade. We found the following reasons for upgrading the software:
- Customers were not satisfied with the service from smaller players and wanted to move to software companies focused on school management software.
- Their software did not have the latest features and wanted to move to a complete ERP system.
80% of the customers were the first generation buyers looking to solve a long-standing problem with new technology. The number is expected to have increased due to the disruption in the traditional education system in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another research by The Journal indicates that 95% of teachers use some form of technology in the classroom.
Web Based VS Installation Based Software
The total web-based software market share has increased to 35% in 2021. At the same time, on-premise software dropped from 59% in 2019 to 38% in 2021.
More and more educational institutions are choosing SaaS-based software for new purchases as they do not require maintenance and upgrades (the provider does everything). If you are looking for school management software, we also recommend choosing a cloud-based platform. They cost less than on-premise systems and are highly scalable.
Average Cost of School Management Software
The cost of school management software varies from vendor to vendor. However, the price varies from Rs 12 to Rs 40 per student per month. You can also choose an annual package that ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 2,00,000. A majority of educational institutions prefer a budget of up to Rs 50,000.
When it comes to cloud-based school management software, the price varies from Rs 7 per student per month to Rs 15 per student per month.
Around 40% of web-based software users pick the cheapest plan (i.e., less than Rs 7 per student per month).
Who Purchases the School Management Software?
School management software with integrated student management system is used by both government and private schools. After the pandemic, more and more educational institutions have started investing in technology for the advancement of education.
However, we found that the largest group of software buyers were the schools with around 500-1000 students (32%). They were followed by schools with 200-500 students (27%). Here is a table that shows what percentage of schools with different sizes look for the software.
| Number of students | Software buyers (%) |
| Below 200 | 12 |
| 200 – 500 | 27 |
| 500 – 1000 | 32 |
| 1000 – 2000 | 16 |
| 2000 – 5000 | 9 |
| 5000 + | 4 |
Software Buyer’s Geographical Spread:
Maharashtra has the maximum number of school management software buyers (12%), followed by Uttar Pradesh (11%), Karnataka (8%), and Rajasthan (8%).
Is There a Specific Time When the Sales of School Management Software Spike?
Yes, there is. The software sale spikes around the time of admissions (Feb-April). Eventually, it decreases during midterms and then starts increasing during final terms.
As we know, school admissions generally take place from June & July, but as a precaution, schools buy the software from earlier stages, i.e., from the end terms (March). You can see the highest purchase rate of buying school management software in March. Also, the sales go down around October.
Who is the Decision Maker?
We found mainly three types of people who are generally involved in deciding to purchase the School Management Software:
- Management
- Principals and IT In-charge
- Administrators
Whether you are an educational institution looking for school management software or a vendor wanting to better understand the market, this article answers all your questions.
If you have any suggestions on the report or want any changes, please leave us a comment below!
Ankit is one of the Co-founder at SoftwareSuggest.com | India’s Largest Business Software Discovery & Recommendation Platform. He is Responsible for every Sales and Marketing activity of the company & managing every other operations of the company.
