# Renaissance Star 360 Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Renaissance Star 360 the right K-12 solution for you? Explore 20 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/175893/Renaissance-Star-360/reviews --- Renaissance Star 360 4.5 (20) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/175893/Renaissance-Star-360/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Renaissance Star 360 Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.5 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews SG Sarah G Systems AnalystEducation Management, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The Pros are consistent: planning for teachers, ease of use by students, the printing of reports for quick review or to provide parents during conferences.“ May 24, 2022 BC Brianna C Public schools educator E-Learning, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I sometimes think the assessments are too difficult for 2nd grade however this could be because it is a national program and my students are below the national average.“ September 2, 2021 RB Ray B PrincipalEducation Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “This has given us the guidelines for where we need to begin when we return to on site teaching.“ February 10, 2021 CR Callie R educatorEducation Management, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Renaissance's report section can be difficult to figure out how to navigate. “ December 3, 2020 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-20 of 20 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use CF Courtnay F. Elementary School Teacher E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Good Diagnostic Test " December 6, 2020 4.0 I used Star 360 a few years ago and it’s changed a bit since then. This is the first year my school has chosen to use the Custom Star piece it’s pretty good. Pros I like the option to use custom tests to only assess the standards and skills that have been taught thus far. Cons Thus far I haven’t had the easiest time getting good reports for the custom assessments. It can be a bit difficult to make sure those custom assessments are exactly what you want as well. Sometimes the questions don’t line up exactly with the standard/skill. Review Source SG Sarah G. Systems Analyst Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Varied Usefulness" May 24, 2022 4.0 We do enjoy the use of the program, especially with our EL students, but the task of setup and maintenance is the most burdensome. Pros The Pros are consistent: planning for teachers, ease of use by students, the printing of reports for quick review or to provide parents during conferences. We did like the adaptation of Lexile levels and the constant updating of AR resources. I love that the test results are readily available and we do like the integration with partner product Ellevation nightly. Customer support is lightning fast with the chat feature, but sometimes can be a hit or miss with their attitude. Cons Set up and maintenance are the main issues. Not adapting to be API with the school SIS or login platforms like Clever really eats up a lot of setup time during the school year for rostering. A lot of people need to spend their time updating enrollment in classes or the characteristics/programs students are enrolled in. We also didn't like that we could create our own characteristics like the DLA program, but those will not be printed or usable on the built in reports. I also do not appreciate the lack of API to the SIS by pulling scores into our Testing table. I had to create an elaborate extraction and translation of the fields to be able to import them into the SIS for Admin and teachers to review along with other state test scores. Reason for choosing Renaissance Star 360 Illuminate can be complicated as it is very adaptable to any school's need, which means it can be as complicated as you want it to be depending on what you want. But most school users do not have the time to master the resources available, Renaissance is very straightforward with minimal changes allowed, so it is much more user-friendly. Review Source GL Gretchen L. Educator Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "STAR 360 frustratingly useful" November 20, 2019 4.0 Overall, I enjoy using the STAR 360 in order to mark the completion of standards in Math and Reading. Understanding the scores, still causes me frustration. Pros Over the past few years Renaissance has made some significant changes to their software that aids in decision making for teachers. Changes including planning instruction and managing content are great features. However, how scores are calculated and how to explain the "numbers" to parents still remains a murky area to traverse. Cons Connectivity, timeliness of score reports, blank screens and timing out questions still remain areas of contention. There used to be a feature where teachers could see who in their class has started but not yet completed a test. That feature s now gone. For those teachers whose students are not seen daily, or for students who need extra time due to IEP requirements this feature was valuable. When "chatting" with a tech about why a students screen is blank in the middle of a test and they have no answer or tell me to pause the test, causing anxiety for students, I tend to get very frustrated with the program. Eventually, the tech will get back to me, but my student may not have time to complete the test. Taking me back to the issue of not being able to see incomplete tests. Review Source GL Grace L. Principal Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Renaissance and our STAR students" February 4, 2021 5.0 We have used Renaissance for many years. I think this was the best transition we had from the other assessments we used to give where we had to wait for a number of weeks to get the results, then we needed to analyze them, before we could put our students in their proper groups. We have seen a high success rate in students who have kept their AR goals. With the STAR Assessments, now it is easier for us to track success through the longitudinal reports that we could run. Pros It is an adaptive software that helps in differentiating our students. It has now become our regular source of assessments for both Reading and Math, helping us place the students in their achievement levels and aid us in planning our instruction to ensure their success. I love that the results to the assessments are readily available, right after the students take the tests. I also love the fact that with their test results come their reading levels and which book lexile levels we could assign them to read to maximize their improvement. Cons In the past, I would hear students say AR (Accelerated Reading) takes the fun out of reading, because they are put in their levels and have to meet a certain goal. Reason for choosing Renaissance Star 360 It was a slow transition for us. We started with just AR for a couple of years or so, then added the STAR tests. We started with just STAR Reading for a few years then added STAR Math and Early Literacy. WE love Renaissance! Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Teacher Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Versatile" December 12, 2019 5.0 We generally use Renaissance for AR only. It is easy for the kids to use, and they appreciate the immediate results. It is a great way to assess their comprehension skills on independent reading. Pros Renaissance is convenient and allows for quick data on student performance. It is useful to see growth or lack thereof for each student. Cons Finding the report you want to use can be time consuming, as there is much to filter through. In the updated version of the software, I am unable to use a particular report that I have used and liked for years. Review Source EW Ellen W. Teacher Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Teacher who uses program" December 17, 2019 4.0 Overall the software is fine, I struggle with how the program is used in my school as it sometimes stresses out the struggling readers and makes kids who do not like to read, dislike reading even more. Pros It makes it easy to hold students accountable for their reading. It is a simple system to use with many children. The students can usually get to their tests and see their progress on their own. Cons The newest update is not as user friendly for the students or the teachers. It has been a difficult transition for all. Review Source RW Rachael W. Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Renaissance " October 19, 2020 5.0 Overall, Renaissance Star 360 is a great program for the classroom! Pros This software allows me to track my students reading practice and set achievable goals based on their performance level. Cons The only negative aspect of this software is that the new upgrade has left me having to spend a lot of time searching for the reports that I need. Review Source AN Alison N. Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Student and Teacher frustrations " November 19, 2019 4.0 It varies year to year, but the most recent updates to the online format for report retrieval have been most frustrating. Pros I like the software for for the data collection and progress monitoring. Cons It often has glitches when using on i pads (easiest format for K-2nd students). The font is very small, and logs them out when they enlarge the words. The STAR Math assessment will read many questions to students, but most often says "Choose the best answer", and is very frustrating for the kids. This is most noticeable on the first grade test. Reports are very difficult to pull up. There is a lengthy delay after students assess for the information to register and be accessed. This is a new problem this school year. Also, you must select and re select the student and class for every single report. It would be more efficient if each user could customize the class for pulling up the reports, rather than clicking through all other staff/students at the school. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Technology Facilitator Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Awesome Program. Our whole district is using the program. " July 27, 2018 5.0 This software has helped our district Pros We are able to customize assessments for individual students. We use it as an intervention tool to see what standards students aren't mastering. Cons Nothing. Love everything about this program. If I had to pick one thing it was getting my teachers to buy into using it. After showing them how easy it was everybody was using it. Review Source AN Anneda N. Teacher/ freelance writer E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Not my first choice " June 8, 2021 4.0 I have used it to assess students’ independent reading levels. Pros This is not my first option to assess students’ reading levels. I find the timed feature can be very intimidating for students. It does have a clear display, and the passages are well written. Cons The timed feature makes it hard for students to remain focused. The time passes so quickly and that can be a huge variable for students. Review Source AC Andy C. Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Effective Supplement for the Classroom" October 30, 2019 4.0 Pros It's easy to setup and organize. Easy for students to login on their own and use. Cons Takes a lot of clicks to log in. The latest update made it slower to log in. Review Source TG Tracy G. student teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for Student Development" March 12, 2024 5.0 Pros Renaissance works great for tracking student development over the school year. Cons Sometimes the tests can be difficult for students and as a teacher you don't know what to expect on them because it's different for everyone. Review Source BC Brianna C. Public schools educator E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great testing software " September 2, 2021 5.0 Pros We use this software for assessments. I like how this program is customized per grade. We use it fir Kindergarten through fifth grade. The assessment show what the student needs more work on, where they score well with and provides a lot of data that can be utilized to work with students on those specific skills. Cons I sometimes think the assessments are too difficult for 2nd grade however this could be because it is a national program and my students are below the national average. Review Source RB Ray B. Principal Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Gives Us Guidelines for Individual Academic Growth" February 10, 2021 4.0 Overall, it is an infinitely better system than the national or state tests that are required in our state. This allows for us to modify curriculum for a student as the year progresses. Pros Renaissance Star 360 has shown adaptability during this past year. Since our school was in Distance Learning, we were able to continue to test students remotely, being able to see individual progress. This has given us the guidelines for where we need to begin when we return to on site teaching. Cons Although vastly improved, it still takes a little time to be able to decipher all of the possible outcomes and recommendations that the data provides us. However, it has improved. Review Source CR Callie R. educator Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Renaissance!" December 3, 2020 5.0 Overall Renaissance has greatly enhanced my ability to motivate students to give reading a chance! Pros What a helpful tool for assessing and monitoring students' independent reading! I love the accelerated reading program! Cons Renaissance's report section can be difficult to figure out how to navigate. However, their partner application MYON is very intuitive and an excellent add on to this program. Review Source HC Heather C. Teacher E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for Intervention" November 24, 2023 5.0 Pros Star 360 allows me to asses and place students in reading or math. Star 360 provides many different reports so I can target instruction. Cons I like the standards it assesses but there are some gaps in the comprehensiveness of the results. Review Source MW Michael W. Director of Applied Technology Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Renaissance Star 360" July 16, 2021 5.0 My overall experience with Renaissance Star 360 is great. I have not experienced many issues with the software. It is very user-friendly, easy to set up and implement. Pros I like that Renaissance Star 360 has support for our EL students and can accurately meet this target group's needs. I also like how Star 360 integrates with all the systems we currently utilize. Cons There is not much I do not like about Renaissance Star 360. The price is the only thing I can point to as a source of the issue. Review Source CJ Casey J. Physical therapist assistant Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Pleased" September 2, 2018 5.0 I like it! Helps to be able to look any time and see what my child has done. Pros We use this mainly to keep up with AR points each semester. It’s great for that purpose. Cons I don’t know if it’s an option or not but I wish it would separate each 9 weeks on the list of books read and tested over...So if you need X amount of points each nine weeks you will know where each new set of 9 weeks starts Review Source MS Melissa S. Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Renaissance Star 360 - Teacher Review" September 19, 2018 4.0 Student monitoring for literacy. Pros The reporting is outstanding and meets the needs I have for student monitoring. Cons It would be helpful to learn more about the product features but we have central contacts for that aspect. Review Source PF Patricia F. Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Student friendly" December 4, 2018 4.0 Pros It's easy for students to use. They are familiar with it from earlier usage. Cons The interface for teachers to move from screen to screen is cumbersome. Review Source Similar Products Featured