The verdict in three sentences
A market SIS at 6-14 EUR/student/year fits a standard school that accepts the vendor's processes. Once you combine enrollment, grades, family billing and parent communication with your own rules, a custom platform at 40,000-90,000 EUR consolidates these tools and restores GDPR control. The tipping point is your student count and the hidden cost of re-keying between systems.
Market SIS vs custom platform: 2026
Orders of magnitude for a Paris school of 600 to 900 students.
| Criterion | Market SaaS SIS | Custom platform |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 6-14 EUR/student/year | 40,000-90,000 EUR |
| Example 800 students | 4,800-11,200 EUR/year | one-time build + maintenance |
| Deployment time | 4-8 weeks | 12-20 weeks |
| Custom family billing | Standard | Full (schedules, bursaries) |
| Accounting/payment integration | Connectors | Custom |
| GDPR hosting | Vendor-dependent | Owned, EU |
| Code & data ownership | No | Yes |
What the custom budget funds
Typical breakdown of a 70,000 EUR build for a full enrollment platform.
| Line item | Share | Amount (70,000 EUR build) |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & UX (family/teacher flows) | 12% | 8,400 EUR |
| Core development (enrollment, grades) | 42% | 29,400 EUR |
| Family billing & payment module | 20% | 14,000 EUR |
| GDPR compliance & security | 10% | 7,000 EUR |
| QA, migration, training | 16% | 11,200 EUR |
| Year-1 maintenance (12%) | recurring | 8,400 EUR/year |
Mini case study
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Benoit, director of an 800-student private school in Paris, juggles three tools (enrollment, grade spreadsheet, billing) and carries 6% unpaid fees on 5.2M EUR of tuition, i.e. 312,000 EUR. He invests 72,000 EUR in a unified platform, maintenance 12%/year (8,640 EUR). Automated direct debit and reminders cut unpaid fees to 4.2% (about 94,000 EUR/year saved), and the office gains 12 hours/week. Payback within one school year.
FAQ
What budget for custom private-school management software? 2026 order of magnitude: 40,000-90,000 EUR depending on scope (enrollment, grades, billing, communication). A first production module can start at 20,000-30,000 EUR.
From what size is custom justified? Once you exceed 600-800 students or stack several disconnected tools. Below that, a per-student SIS stays cheaper.
How is GDPR handled for minors' data? EU hosting, minimization, traced parental consent, encryption and configured retention. This line is about 10% of budget and secures a sensitive area.
How long to deploy? 12-20 weeks for the full platform, 6-10 weeks for a first module. Plan the switch around the start of the school year.
What is the maintenance cost? 10-14%/year of build, i.e. 4,000-12,000 EUR/year, covering fixes, regulatory updates and support during the school year.
Let's scope your project. Send your enrollment, current tools and target budget (40,000-90,000 EUR) and we frame the priority module. 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.
