Pearspark vs QuickSchools
For classical Christian schools and other small private schools. Pricing verified September 29, 2026. Written by the Pearspark team (how we compare).
The short answer
QuickSchools costs less than Pearspark at 25, 50 and 100 students. Its $0.99 Gaia rate leaves out report cards, transcripts and the parent portal, which start on the $1.49 Apollo plan, and a 30-student minimum charge means a small school pays for 30 either way. The lower bill also buys a narrower system: standards-based grading, lending library, equipment booking, volunteer check-in and records escrow are in Pearspark's price and not in QuickSchools' published feature list.
Pearspark
One system for a school growing a grade a year: admissions, attendance, home days, report cards, transcripts with GPA, tuition and ESA billing, library, volunteers and the parent app.
Pricing: $50 a month including 20 students, then $2.50 a student a month, stepping down to $1.00 at volume. No setup fees, month to month, 30-day free trial.
Setup is self-serve: the importers preview every row before anything is written, and email support is free when you're stuck.
QuickSchools
A K-12 SIS at $0.99 to $2.99 a student a month, with a 30-student minimum charge and report cards one tier up from the cheapest plan.
Pricing: QuickSchools publishes three per-student plans: Gaia at $0.99, Apollo at $1.49 (marked most popular) and Athena at $2.99 per student per month, with custom pricing above 300 students. "A minimum charge for 30 students applies per school", so 30 is the floor whatever your enrollment. Report Card/Gradebook, Transcripts, the parent and student portals and parent messaging start at Apollo; automated scheduling, lesson plans and phone support are Athena. All plans carry a 30-day free trial.
What each costs at small-school sizes
| Students | Pearspark | QuickSchools |
|---|---|---|
| 25 students | $62.50/mo | $29.70/mo Gaia · $44.70 Apollo (30-student minimum) |
| 50 students | $125/mo | $49.50/mo Gaia · $74.50 Apollo |
| 100 students | $250/mo | $99/mo Gaia · $149 Apollo |
| What the price includes | Everything in one plan: records, attendance, gradebook, standards-based grading, report cards, transcripts, admissions, scheduling, tuition billing with family autopay, lending library, equipment booking, volunteer check-in, messaging, and an installable parent app with push notifications. No setup fee, month-to-month. No fundraising CRM, no subsidy billing, and no SMS broadcast — announcements reach families as push notifications and email instead. | Gaia ($0.99): records, attendance, admissions, fee tracking, reports. Apollo ($1.49) adds report cards, gradebook, transcripts and the parent and student portals; scheduling and lesson plans are $2.99 Athena. 30-student minimum; text and voice carry telco charges. |
QuickSchools pricing from its published list rates as of September 29, 2026. Sources are below.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Pearspark | QuickSchools |
|---|---|---|
| Student records (SIS) | ||
| Attendance | ||
| Gradebook & report cards | Paid add-on | |
| Standards-based grading & mastery | ||
| Records protected if the school closes | ||
| Transcripts & GPA | Paid add-on | |
| Missing-data reports & scheduled delivery | Partial | |
| Admissions pipeline | ||
| Class scheduling & rooms | Paid add-on | |
| Lending library & checkout | ||
| Equipment & room booking | ||
| Volunteer tracking & check-in | ||
| Parent & student portal | Paid add-on | |
| Messaging | Paid add-on | |
| Self-serve transcript & gradebook import | ||
| Tuition billing & payments | Partial | |
| Published pricing (no sales call) | ||
| Fundraising & donor CRM | ||
| SMS / text broadcast to families | ||
| Subsidy & agency billing |
= not published, or varies by plan. Pearspark reaches families by push notification through the installable parent app, and by email, not by text. Underlined feature names open the Pearspark page for that capability.
What QuickSchools offers
- Costs less than Pearspark at 25, 50 and 100 students on the Gaia or the Apollo plan
- Student and teacher records, attendance, admissions, fee tracking, report cards, transcripts, discipline tracking and scheduling
- 30-day free trial on every plan, with no setup fee or contract named on the pricing page
- Athena modules can be added one at a time to a cheaper plan for a fixed monthly price
Where QuickSchools falls short
- A minimum charge for 30 students applies per school — a 12-student microschool pays the 30-student price, which is $29.70 rather than $11.88 on Gaia
- Report cards, gradebook, transcripts, the parent portal and the student portal are not in the $0.99 Gaia plan; they start at $1.49 Apollo
- Text and voice messaging carry telco charges on top of the plan price
- Automated scheduling and lesson plans are Athena at $2.99, three times the headline rate
- Standards-based grading isn't named on the pricing page
Where QuickSchools fits
When Pearspark is the better choice
The parts this comparison turns on
Common questions
Is QuickSchools cheaper than Pearspark?
What is QuickSchools' 30-student minimum?
Which QuickSchools plan do I actually need?
Do both offer a free trial?
Sources
Last reviewed September 29, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we'll fix it.
QuickSchools in a wider comparison
See Pearspark for yourself
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