The verdict in three sentences
Custom management software for a private school in Montreal ranges from 25,000 to 55,000 EUR in 2026, depending on enrolment, billing scope and parent-portal richness. The main gain is not pedagogical but administrative and financial: automating tuition billing, collecting online and cutting unpaid balances. Budget 4 to 6 months to build an admissions + academics + billing + family portal core.
What the budget funds
A private school loses considerable time on repetitive tasks: re-keying enrolments, chasing payments, filing absence notes. Here is the 2026 custom-development breakdown, order of magnitude.
| Module | Role | Range (EUR) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrolment / admissions | Files, documents, waitlists | 5,000 - 11,000 | 4-6 wks |
| Academics | Grades, report cards, attendance, lateness | 6,000 - 13,000 | 5-8 wks |
| Tuition billing | Instalment plans, credits, reminders | 6,000 - 13,000 | 4-7 wks |
| Online payment | Card, direct debit, receipts | 3,000 - 8,000 | 2-4 wks |
| Parent portal | Tracking, messaging, documents | 4,000 - 10,000 | 3-6 wks |
| Automated communication | Emails/SMS, notices, reminders | 2,000 - 6,000 | 2-4 wks |
The low end (25,000 EUR) fits a 200-300 pupil school with essentials; the high end (55,000 EUR) covers 600+ pupils with complex billing and a rich portal.
The administrative and financial ROI
The return shows in admin hours saved and lower unpaid balances. Here are 2026 orders of magnitude for a 450-pupil Montreal school.
| Metric | Before | After software | Annual impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing admin hours/month | 40 h | 15 h | -25 h |
| Unpaid rate | 6% | 3.5% | -2.5 pts |
| Average fee/pupil/year | 5,200 EUR | 5,200 EUR | flat |
| Recovered unpaid balances | — | +58,500 EUR cash | +2.5% |
| Collection time | 38 days | 12 days | -26 d |
| Paper/postage cost | 4,800 EUR | 900 EUR | -3,900 EUR |
On tuition revenue of 2.34M EUR (450 x 5,200 EUR), bringing unpaid balances from 6% to 3.5% secures about 58,500 EUR of cash per year, and 25 admin hours saved monthly is nearly 0.4 FTE redeployed.
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Mini case study
Ms Fontaine, head of a 380-pupil Montreal private school (average fee 4,900 EUR/year). Admissions are on paper, billing on Excel and reminders by phone. She invests 38,000 EUR in software delivered in 5 months with online payment and a parent portal. Over 12 months, unpaid balances fall from 7% to 3.5% on revenue of 1.86M EUR, i.e. +65,000 EUR of secured cash, and the assistant reclaims 25 h/month. The project pays back in year one.
FAQ
What budget for a 250-pupil school? Budget 25,000 to 34,000 EUR for admissions + academics + billing with online payment, delivered in 4 months. An advanced parent portal can follow in phase 2.
Is online payment secure and compliant? Yes: card and direct debit via a licensed provider (e.g. Stripe or GoCardless), with automatic receipts and data-privacy compliance on family data, for 3,000 to 8,000 EUR.
By how much can unpaid balances drop? Combining instalment plans, automatic debit and scheduled reminders, a 2 to 3 point drop is realistic within the first school year.
Can it connect to existing academic tools? A gateway is possible (grade/attendance export) for 2,000 to 6,000 EUR; many schools nevertheless prefer to centralise academics directly in the custom tool.
How much is annual maintenance? Plan for 15 to 20% of build cost per year, i.e. 3,750 to 11,000 EUR, covering support, enhancements and regulatory updates.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your enrolment, billing model and portal needs: we frame a scope in the 25,000-55,000 EUR range. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
