HeadMaster

Pros: This system can do most everything that a school needs to manage the student records, the biggest plus over competition is the responsiveness of the customer service staff. They really strive to help you get the most you can out of the service!

Cons: This software does take some getting used to and familiarization with. The biggest challenge is learning how the different components interact and how to get the most out of the features included.

Overall: Single source, easy to use access to the student records for the entire school.

Pros: I use this software on a daily basis and on some days will tell you that I love it and on others that I'm not too fond of it. It has many components that make running the school easy.

Cons: It tends to be very limiting at times. You have to jump through hoops to get the reports that you want. The aging journal is very frustrating and I never know when to close out the billing because we run year round.

Pros: Headmaster was our original SMS. We used it before it was available on the cloud. It was as user friendly as the user was willing to educate him/herself on how to use the program. (If you liked Microsoft Access, you'll love Headmaster.)

Cons: We had tons of connectivity issues once they became "cloud" based, because you had to access the program through a portal. Many teachers complained of getting logged off in the middle of tasks, and several complained that their grades did not remain after they were entered. We learned to keep paper backups of everything in case it did not go through. We also had issues with the program accurately calculating GPAs and averages. For the most part, our teachers that complained of many issues were the ones who didn't invest the time in calling tech support and/or reading the manuals. After being the "point-person" for 7 years, I was used to the issues and was able to use the program effectively. We've since moved to a truly cloud-based system, and have eliminated a majority of teacher and parent complaints.

Overall: It served its purpose for 7 years... We were able to keep pretty accurate records (as long as we had a backup copy), and we were able to give parents access to their students' grades faster.

Pros: makes communication between school, students, and parents much easier

Cons: learning curve

Overall: Our Christian school used this software to record grades and communicate online with parents and students. There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you get past that, it's very helpful.