# Best software for a small Montessori school

Source: https://www.futurenerds.dev/compare/best-software-for-a-small-montessori-school
Last updated: 2026-10-25

For a small Montessori school with one or two classrooms, FutureNerds costs the least of the tools with published prices: free for 10 children, then $0.50 per child a month, with billing and admissions included. MRX and Transparent Classroom fit schools that only need records.

## What a small school needs

A small school usually has one person doing the office work between other jobs. The software has to cover the week without a second product:

| Job | What to check |
| --- | --- |
| Records | AMI or AMS lessons you can edit, and presented, practicing and mastered for each child |
| Parents | An app for iPhone and Android, and a switch for what each family sees |
| Attendance | Check-in, and a way for parents to report an absence |
| Tuition | Invoices and card payments without a second account |
| Admissions | An online application and a waitlist |
| Price | A published price at your real number of children |

## What each one costs at 15, 25 and 40 children

Prices were checked October 14, 2026, on each product's own pricing page. MRX charges per classroom, so the table counts one classroom at 15 children and two at 25 and 40. Payment processing fees are separate for every product.

| Product | 15 children | 25 children | 40 children |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FutureNerds | (15 - 10) x $0.50 = $2.50 a month | (25 - 10) x $0.50 = $7.50 a month | (40 - 10) x $0.50 = $15 a month |
| [Transparent Classroom](https://www.transparentclassroom.com/pricing) | 15 x $2.50 = $37.50 a month | 25 x $2.50 = $62.50 a month | 40 x $2.50 = $100 a month |
| [Montessori Compass](https://www.montessoricompass.com/pricing), records | 15 x $2.00 = $30 a month | 25 x $2.00 = $50 a month | 40 x $2.00 = $80 a month |
| Montessori Compass with the Growth Suite (billing and admissions) | 15 x $6.00 = $90 a month | 25 x $6.00 = $150 a month | 40 x $6.00 = $240 a month |
| [MRX](https://www.montessorirecordsxpress.com/) | $325 a year (one classroom) | $650 a year (two classrooms) | $650 a year (two classrooms) |
| [Storypark](https://www.storypark.com/pricing) | 15 x $1.59 = $23.85 a month | 25 x $1.59 = $39.75 a month | 40 x $1.59 = $63.60 a month |

Montessori Compass also sells records at $18 per student per year and the Growth Suite at $48 per student per year. brightwheel and Procare do not publish a price we could check, so they are not in the table.

## The options for a small school

### FutureNerds

Records on an AMS, AMI or custom curriculum with four mastery levels, plus attendance, messages, invoicing through your own Stripe account, and an online application with a waitlist and visit booking. Apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, and an interface in 14 languages. A school with 10 children or fewer pays nothing.

It has no payroll, no staff scheduling, no SMS and no direct QuickBooks sync (it exports a QuickBooks-format CSV). Payments families make through it cost standard Stripe fees plus 1%. It is newer than the others and does not appear in public lists of Montessori software yet.

### Transparent Classroom

Made by Montessori educators, with [lesson sets for AMI Toddler, Primary and Elementary, and AMS Elementary](https://www.transparentclassroom.com/). It charges only for [children enrolled the previous month](https://www.transparentclassroom.com/pricing), so a closed summer costs nothing. Tuition billing comes through a [partnership with Onespot](https://transparent-classroom.helpscoutdocs.com/article/452-onespot-transparent-classroom-partnership).

### Montessori Compass

[Over 3,000 lessons from infant through age 12](https://www.montessoricompass.com/) and a [30-day free trial](https://www.montessoricompass.com/pricing). Billing and admissions need the Growth Suite. The [interface is English only](https://help.montessoricompass.com/support/solutions/articles/68000008111-does-montessori-compass-support-multiple-languages-).

### MRX

Montessori-only record keeping with [AMI, AMS and community lesson lists, at a flat $325 per classroom per year](https://www.montessorirecordsxpress.com/). Billing, admissions and attendance are not listed on its home page.

### Storypark

Learning stories shared with families, [free for families](https://www.storypark.com/pricing). Montessori is something the school sets up as its own [learning set](https://intercom.help/storypark/articles/56140-what-are-learning-tags-and-sets).

## Which one fits which small school

- **You want records, billing and admissions in one app at the lowest price:** FutureNerds.
- **You only need records and like a fixed yearly price per room:** MRX.
- **You only need records and want the most established Montessori tool:** Transparent Classroom.
- **You want a large ready-made lesson library and your families read English:** Montessori Compass.
- **Your families care most about learning stories:** Storypark.

## How to choose software for a small Montessori school

1. Count your children today and at the start of next year.
2. Price each option at that number, including any add-on for billing or admissions.
3. Decide whether tuition and applications must live in the same app as your records.
4. Start a free tier or trial with one classroom and one real week of records.
5. Before you commit, try the export and check you can get your records out as files.

## Related pages

- [Best Montessori school software](/compare/best-montessori-school-software)
- [Free Montessori school software](/compare/free-montessori-school-software)
- [Montessori school software pricing](/compare/montessori-school-software-pricing)
- [Transparent Classroom alternative for a two-room school](/compare/transparent-classroom-alternative-for-a-two-room-school)
- [How to start a Montessori school](/guides/start-a-montessori-school)
- [Pricing](/pricing)

## Questions and answers

### What is the cheapest Montessori software for a school with 15 children?

Of the products with published prices, FutureNerds costs the least at 15 children: (15 - 10) x $0.50 = $2.50 a month. Storypark is $23.85 a month and MRX is $325 a year for one classroom.

### Is there free software for a Montessori school with under 10 children?

Yes. FutureNerds is free for your first 10 students, with no time limit. Montessori Compass offers a 30-day trial instead of a free tier.

### Do I need separate billing software as a small school?

Not with FutureNerds, which includes invoices and card payments through your own Stripe account. Transparent Classroom bills through its Onespot partnership, and Montessori Compass puts billing in its Growth Suite.

### Is FutureNerds only for small schools?

No. The price is the same at any size, $0.50 per child per month after the first 10, with unlimited classrooms. A school that needs payroll or staff scheduling should look at brightwheel or Procare.

## Sources

All checked October 14, 2026.

- https://www.transparentclassroom.com/
- https://www.transparentclassroom.com/pricing
- https://transparent-classroom.helpscoutdocs.com/article/452-onespot-transparent-classroom-partnership
- https://www.montessoricompass.com/
- https://www.montessoricompass.com/pricing
- https://help.montessoricompass.com/support/solutions/articles/68000008111-does-montessori-compass-support-multiple-languages-
- https://www.montessorirecordsxpress.com/
- https://www.storypark.com/pricing
- https://intercom.help/storypark/articles/56140-what-are-learning-tags-and-sets