The verdict in three sentences
For a private school group with 500 to 2,000 students, a website with online pre-registration costs 1.5 to 4 million FCFA (EUR 2,300-6,100) and ships in 5 to 9 weeks. The main lever is the pre-registration form with document upload combined with application fee payment by mobile money or card, which removes the queues at the front office in June and July. Start the project before March to be ready for the back-to-school admissions campaign.
Why digitize pre-registration
In 2026, about 40% of parents research a school on mobile before visiting, and the share exceeds 60% among diaspora parents enrolling a child remotely. They compare three things: exam results, tuition fees and ease of enrollment. A school with no website, or just a Facebook page, loses these families to schools that let parents submit an application in 10 minutes from a phone.
2026 price ranges
| Component | 2026 price (FCFA) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Brochure site, 10-20 pages (levels, school life, results) | 1,500,000 - 2,200,000 | 3 - 5 weeks |
| Pre-registration form with document upload | 400,000 - 800,000 | +1 - 2 weeks |
| Application fee payment (mobile money, card) | 300,000 - 600,000 | +1 week |
| Admissions office dashboard (file tracking, statuses) | 400,000 - 900,000 | +1 - 2 weeks |
| SMS and WhatsApp notifications to parents | 15 - 25 FCFA/SMS | Included |
| Second language version (anglophone families) | 250,000 - 500,000 | +1 week |
| Maintenance and hosting | 50,000 - 150,000/month | Ongoing |
A typical full project (site, pre-registration, payment, dashboard) comes to about 3 million FCFA (EUR 4,600), delivered in 7 weeks.
The ideal pre-registration flow
| Step | What the parent does | What the school receives | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Choose level | Nursery, primary, middle or high school | Projected headcount per class | 1 min |
| 2. Student details | Identity, previous school | Structured record, no re-typing | 3 min |
| 3. Documents | Photo of birth certificate, report cards, ID photo | Documents filed per application | 3 min |
| 4. Application fee | Payment of 10,000 to 25,000 FCFA by mobile money | Automatic payment confirmation | 2 min |
| 5. Invitation | Test or interview date by SMS | Filled test schedule | Automatic |
| 6. Decision | Admission notice and enrollment fees | Exportable list of admitted students | Automatic |
Set a file size limit (2 MB per document) and automatic photo compression: many parents send 8 MB phone pictures over slow connections.
Mini case study
Mr Agbeko, founder of a 1,200-student school group in Lomé (Agoè district), receives about 450 pre-registration applications each year. His front office dedicates 3 full-time staff for 8 weeks, with daily queues and 15% incomplete files.
Investment: 3,100,000 FCFA (site, pre-registration, mobile payment, dashboard). Calculation: 3 staff × 8 weeks × 40 h = 960 hours of processing. With online pre-registration, 70% of files arrive complete with no re-typing, saving about 600 hours. Application fees of 15,000 FCFA collected online across 450 files total 6,750,000 FCFA, now traceable with no cash handling. If the site attracts just 20 extra students at 350,000 FCFA annual tuition, it brings in 7,000,000 FCFA in revenue, more than twice the investment.
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FAQ
How much does a private school website cost in 2026?
1.5 to 2.2 million FCFA for a brochure site, and 2.5 to 4 million FCFA with online pre-registration, fee payment and dashboard. Maintenance runs 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA per month.
Will parents actually pay online?
Yes, mobile money is widely used. In equipped schools, 60 to 75% of application fees are paid online from the first year.
When should the project start?
Ideally between January and March, for launch in April or May. The admissions campaign starts in June, and a site delivered in August arrives too late.
Is student data protected?
Yes if hosting is secure, documents are encrypted and dashboard access is limited by role. Local data protection law applies (in Togo, the 2019 personal data protection law).
Can the site handle several campuses?
Yes. A group with two or three campuses adds about 300,000 to 500,000 FCFA for per-campus pages and a form that routes to the right school.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your enrollment, levels and the number of applications you receive each year: we send a costed estimate and a schedule aligned with your admissions season. 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.
