The verdict in three sentences
In a private school group, whether in Toronto or Montpellier, school life (grades, attendance, homework) is well covered by market platforms at 3 to 8 EUR per student per year. What breaks down is admissions, family billing and payment plans, still handled across spreadsheets, accounting software and email. A custom family portal and billing tool at 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT, connected to your existing platform rather than replacing it, pays back quickly when unpaid fees reach 2 to 5 % of tuition revenue.
What the school platform covers and what it leaves out
Private schools already run a student information system. The profitable work sits around it: the admissions journey, multi-item billing (tuition, lunch, after-school care, trips) and the relationship with families.
| Process | Market school platform | Custom family portal | 2026 benchmark (order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admissions and re-enrolment | Often out of scope or basic form | Online file, attachments, e-signature, waitlist | 150 to 300 files per intake handled paperless |
| Family billing | Limited module or accounting export | Tuition, lunch, care, options, sibling discounts | Monthly invoices generated in minutes |
| Payment plans | Little flexibility | 1, 3 or 10 instalments, direct debit, reminders | Unpaid fees targeted at 1 to 2 % |
| Communication | Platform messaging | Targeted notifications by class, read receipts | Fewer calls to the front office |
| Grades, attendance, timetable | Covered | Kept in the platform, synchronised | No double entry |
| Privacy for minors | Handled by the vendor | Role-based access, logs, retention periods | Documented records and impact assessment |
The golden rule: do not rebuild school life. The portal pulls students and classes from the existing platform and focuses on administration and billing.
Compared cost for a 900-student group
The table compares three approaches over 3 years for a 900-student school, payment processing fees excluded.
| Item | Platform only + spreadsheets | Platform + market billing module | Platform + Kolonell custom portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| School platform (5 EUR per student per year) | 13,500 EUR over 3 years | 13,500 EUR over 3 years | 13,500 EUR over 3 years |
| Billing module or portal | 0 EUR | 2 to 4 EUR per student per year, 5,400 to 10,800 EUR | 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT one-off |
| Maintenance | Included | Included | 110 EUR excl. VAT a month, 3,960 EUR |
| Billing admin time | 0.5 to 1 FTE | 0.3 to 0.5 FTE | 0.2 to 0.3 FTE |
| Fit with your fee structure | Full but manual | Limited to configuration | Full and automated |
| 3-year software total | 13,500 EUR | 18,900 to 24,300 EUR | 23,560 to 28,130 EUR excl. VAT |
Custom is not the cheapest on licences. It is justified by admin time saved and lower unpaid fees, two items that often exceed the software cost.
Privacy and minors: requirements to build in
Student data concerns minors, which calls for heightened care under GDPR in Europe and under privacy laws such as Ontario's in Canada. The portal must include role-based access (leadership, front office, accounting, teachers, families), an access log, defined retention periods (records of departed students, financial data kept for accounting), in-region hosting and an impact assessment if sensitive data such as health or learning accommodations is processed. Separated families also require precise handling of legal guardians and payers.
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Catherine, head of a private school group, has 900 students paying an average 2,200 EUR a year, 1,980,000 EUR of tuition revenue. With 4 % unpaid, 79,200 EUR must be chased every year. Targeting 2 % through automatic debits and reminders, the school would recover about 39,600 EUR a year. The front office also saves 0.3 FTE, about 10,000 EUR of reallocated time. For a portal at 9,000 EUR excl. VAT plus 1,320 EUR of annual maintenance, payback is estimated at under 6 months, to be checked over the first school year.
FAQ
How much does a custom family portal and billing system cost in 2026?
With Kolonell, a portal with admissions, billing, payment plans and communication costs 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT. A multi-campus group with lunch, transport and cost accounting can reach 10,670 to 22,870 EUR excl. VAT.
Do we have to drop our current school platform?
No. The portal connects to it by import or API to fetch students and classes; school life stays in the tool your teachers already know.
How long to be ready for the new school year?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks. For a September start, kicking off by April at the latest leaves time to open re-enrolment in June.
How does the portal handle separated families?
Each student can have several legal guardians and several payers, with the invoice split by percentage, for example 50 % and 50 %.
What maintenance budget should we plan?
Our maintenance ranges from about 50 EUR (Basic) to 180 EUR (Premium) excl. VAT a month. The Standard level at 110 EUR covers back-to-school peaks and yearly fee changes.
Let's scope your project. Share your student count, current platform and fee schedule: we price a family portal and billing system at 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT with a 10 to 14 week schedule through our free quote request. 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.
