The verdict in three sentences
A private Lagos school that runs fees, grades and attendance on paper leaks 20 to 35 % of fees for lack of reliable tracking. A school app (enrolment, Mobile Money payment, automated report cards, attendance, parent portal) is built for 5 to 11 M FCFA in 9 to 13 weeks. Above 500 students, the collection gain plus 12 admin hours saved per week pay the build back in under a year.
What each module costs
Budget depends on scope. Here is a 2026 order of magnitude for a school of 400 to 1,200 students.
| Module | Scope | Indicative 2026 cost (FCFA) |
|---|---|---|
| Enrolment & student records | Profiles, classes, history | 900,000 - 1,600,000 |
| Fees payment via Mobile Money | MTN MoMo, Orange Money, receipts | 1,200,000 - 2,200,000 |
| Report cards & grades | Teacher entry, averages, PDF | 1,100,000 - 2,000,000 |
| Attendance & roll call | Digital roll call, SMS alerts | 700,000 - 1,300,000 |
| Parent portal | Balance, grades, calendar, messages | 900,000 - 1,800,000 |
| Management dashboard | Collection, headcount, export | 700,000 - 1,400,000 |
| Total | Full MVP | 5,000,000 - 11,000,000 |
Schools usually start with enrolment + payment + report cards, then add attendance and portal the next term.
Build vs school SaaS over 3 years
School SaaS subscriptions charge 40,000 to 120,000 FCFA/month by headcount, on top of per-student fees. Over three years the custom app becomes cheaper and stays your property.
| Item | Custom app | School SaaS (subscription) |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront investment | 5,000,000 - 11,000,000 | 0 - 600,000 (setup) |
| Monthly cost | 60,000 - 150,000 (hosting + maintenance) | 40,000 - 120,000 |
| 3-year cost | 7.2 - 16.4 M FCFA | 2.0 - 5.1 M FCFA + per-student fees |
| Code ownership | Yes | No |
| Customisation | Full | Limited to options |
| Data | Yours | Vendor's |
SaaS wins short term; custom wins as soon as you want to own your data, plug in your accounting and avoid per-student price creep.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Mrs. Okoye, head of a 700-student Lagos school, bills 210,000 FCFA per student per year, i.e. 147 M FCFA. With 28 % poorly tracked arrears she loses about 41 M FCFA. Moving to the app (Mobile Money + automated reminders), she cuts arrears to 21 % in year one: +10.3 M FCFA recovered. The 8 M FCFA app pays for itself in the first term, before counting the 12 weekly hours freed at the front office.
FAQ
How long to deliver the app? Plan 9 to 13 weeks for an MVP covering enrolment, Mobile Money payment and report cards. Attendance and parent portal follow in 2 to 3-week increments.
Can parents pay in instalments? Yes. The schedule is configurable (monthly, per term) and each Mobile Money payment generates an automatic receipt and updates the balance in real time.
Do classrooms need constant connectivity? No. Roll call and grade entry work offline and sync when the network returns, which matters on 3G.
Can we integrate our existing accounting? Yes. An accounting export (CSV or connector) reconciles collections with the ledger without double entry.
What annual maintenance budget should we expect? An order of magnitude of 720,000 to 1,800,000 FCFA/year covers hosting, backups, fixes and small enhancements.
Let's talk about your project. We scope and price your school app in 48 h to fit your headcount. 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.
