Modern education is no longer confined to blackboards and registers. With increasing administrative demands, remote learning, and the need for streamlined communication, schools must adopt digital solutions to function efficiently. This is where open sourceSchool Management Systems (SMS) come into play. These systems digitize daily operations—from student admissions to attendance, performance tracking, staff management, and communication.

Open-source SMS solutions offer a cost-effective, customizable, and scalable alternative to expensive proprietary systems. Ideal for both small institutions and large campuses, they empower educators to focus on what matters most—education.

Top 7 Free and Open-Source School Management Software Solutions

1. Fedena (Community Edition)

Overview:
Fedena is a leading open-source school ERP system based on Ruby on Rails. It offers a clean, user-friendly interface and is suitable for schools, colleges, and universities.

Key Features:

• Student Information System: Store and manage detailed student records including personal, academic, and health data.

• Attendance & Leave Tracking: Daily attendance logging with reports and notifications.

• Timetable Scheduling: Define class-wise, subject-wise timetables.

• Examination Management: Schedule tests, enter marks, and generate report cards.

• Fee Management: Automate invoicing, payment tracking, and receipt generation.

• Multi-user Access: Role-based permissions for students, teachers, and administrators.

• Plugin Support: Extend functionality with optional community or custom plugins.

2. ICTSchool

Overview:
ICTSchool, developed by ICT Innovations, is a powerful, Laravel-based open-source school management system. It focuses not only on managing academics but also excels in real-time communication and broadcasting, making it ideal for schools aiming to modernize both education and engagement.

Key Features:

• Full Academic Administration: Manage classes, subjects, exams, grading systems, and promotions in a centralized dashboard.

• Student and Staff Profiles: Create and track student and teacher data, including performance, attendance, and contact details.

• Voice & SMS Notifications: Built-in support for voice broadcasting and SMS alerts for emergencies, event announcements, or attendance updates.

• Attendance Management: Capture daily attendance and generate reports for analysis.

• Event & Noticeboard Module: Publish school events, holidays, and news accessible to all stakeholders.

• Secure User Roles: Multiple access levels for administrators, teachers, parents, and students.

• Modern Technology Stack: Built with Laravel (PHP), offering modular architecture, high performance, and scalability.

• Open Source Code: Customizable and developer-friendly with full source available on GitHub.

3. OpenEduCat

Overview:
OpenEduCat is a comprehensive, modular school ERP system built on the Odoo platform. Its flexibility makes it suitable for schools, colleges, and training centers.

Key Features:

• Modular System: Implement only the modules you need—admission, exams, library, finance, LMS, and more.

• Student Lifecycle Management: Track students from registration to graduation with full documentation.

• E-learning Tools: LMS features include online lessons, assignments, grading, and certifications.

• Payroll & HR: Manage teacher attendance, salary slips, and leaves.

• Library Management: Track books, issue/return records, and student memberships.

• Parent-Teacher Communication: Internal messaging, email, and SMS modules.

• Multi-language Support: Ideal for global institutions.

4. Gibbon

Overview:
Gibbon is a beautifully designed, feature-rich open-source school platform built for teachers, by teachers. It emphasizes planning, reporting, and student tracking.

Key Features:

• Curriculum Mapping: Define objectives, lessons, units, and learning outcomes.

• Student Assessment: Markbook, custom grade scales, and comment-based evaluations.

• Timetabling Tools: Class scheduling with conflict detection.

• Internal Messaging: Communication among staff, students, and parents.

• Behavior Monitoring: Discipline logs and parent notifications.

• Reports & Analytics: Exportable student reports, grades, and attendance logs.

• Parent/Student Portals: Allow direct access to grades, attendance, and communication.

5. FeKara

Overview:
FeKara is a cloud-ready, lightweight school management system designed for simplicity and speed. It's ideal for small- to mid-sized schools and supports core administrative tasks.

Key Features:

• Online Classrooms: Set up and manage virtual classes with assignments.

• Mobile-Friendly UI: Access on any device, no app required.

• Homework & Exams: Assign and evaluate homework, schedule exams with automated grading.

• Real-Time Alerts: Send updates to parents/students via SMS or email.

• Fee and Finance Management: Handle billing, payments, and due tracking.

• Multiple Language Support: Enhances accessibility for diverse regions.

• Security & Backups: Automatic data backup and role-based access controls.

6. RosarioSIS

Overview:
RosarioSIS is a web-based student information system built on PHP and PostgreSQL. It’s mobile-responsive and designed with international schools in mind.

Key Features:

• Student Demographics & Academic Records: Store extensive student details including health and disciplinary records.

• Schedule Generator: Automatically create schedules based on teacher availability and class size.

• Report Cards & Transcripts: Customizable reports with GPA calculations.

• Billing Module: Tuition and fees management with transaction tracking.

• Multi-language Interface: Available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and more.

• Discipline Tracking: Incident reporting and parental notifications.

• Plugin Ecosystem: Extend features like moodle integration, library, and food service.

7. Classter

Overview:
Classter is a powerful, modular platform combining SIS, LMS, and School ERP functionality in a unified cloud environment. It’s widely used by educational institutions across Europe and the U.S.

Key Features:

• Digital Admissions: From inquiry to enrollment with digital documents and approval workflows.

• Learning Management: Manage class materials, assignments, and assessments.

• Parent Engagement: Mobile apps for real-time communication and progress tracking.

• Student Portfolio: Centralized academic history, behavior, attendance, and certification.

• Finance & Billing: Fee plans, installment scheduling, scholarships, and reports.

• Academic Calendar & Notifications: Events, meetings, and announcements.

• Cloud Architecture: Fully hosted or on-premise options for deployment.

Conclusion

Free and open-source school management systems offer robust functionality, customization flexibility, and cost-efficiency. These solutions are well-suited for:

• Schools and colleges seeking digital transformation

• Organizations with low budgets but high demands

• Developers and IT teams wanting tailored educational platforms

Among them, ICTSchool stands out for its Laravel-based modularity and advanced communication tools like voice/SMS alerts—ideal for modern, tech-savvy institutions.

Choose the right system based on your needs: academic structure, tech environment, user base, and future scalability. Education deserves the best tools—and open-source makes them accessible to all.