Pearspark

The micro school launch checklist

Everything a new (or new-to-software) small school should have ready before the first bell — printable, and organized so the software part fits in one weekend.

Families & enrollment

  • Enrollment agreement signed for every student
  • Guardian contact info collected (both parents where applicable)
  • Emergency contacts + authorized pickup list per child
  • Immunization records or state exemption forms on file
  • Allergy & medical conditions documented — and visible to every adult who supervises
  • Photo/media release choices recorded
  • Re-enrollment expectations communicated (so next spring isn't a scramble)

Money

  • Tuition schedule set (monthly / by term / annual) and in writing
  • Sibling discounts and fee policy decided
  • First invoices issued before day one — collecting in week 3 is much harder
  • Online payment path tested end-to-end with one real family
  • Incidental fees planned: field trips, supplies, lunch, activity fees
  • ESA / scholarship paperwork process confirmed, if your state has one

Academics

  • School-year calendar entered: start/end, breaks, holidays
  • Grading periods (terms/semesters) defined
  • Classes created and every student enrolled in the right ones
  • Weekly schedule built — periods, rooms, teachers
  • Grading policy per class: points, weights, or categories
  • Report card format chosen (letter grades, standards, narratives)
  • Transcripts imported for transfer students

Compliance & records

  • Attendance method ready on day one — most states require daily records
  • Cumulative records plan: where transcripts and files live if a family (or the school) moves on
  • Who-can-see-what decided: role-based access for staff, aides, volunteers
  • Volunteer clearances / background checks tracked
  • Incident/discipline documentation process agreed with staff

Parent communication

  • One channel chosen for school↔family messages (not five group texts)
  • Parent portal accounts invited — a week before school starts
  • Parents shown how to install the app and turn on notifications
  • Absence-reporting expectations communicated both directions
  • Weekly rhythm decided: what gets shared, when (plans, grades, photos)

The weekend setup plan

With software that imports your data, this whole list is one weekend of setup:

  • Saturday morning — import rosters, guardians, and any transcripts (CSV, with a dry-run preview)
  • Saturday afternoon — calendar, terms, classes, weekly schedule
  • Sunday morning — tuition plans, first invoices, online payments
  • Sunday afternoon — invite staff, set roles, take Monday's attendance as a test
  • Week before school — invite families; they sign up and install the app themselves

Pearspark does the software half of this list in a weekend.

Attendance, gradebook, tuition invoicing, records, and a parent app families install before day one — $50/month for your first 20 students.

Try the live demo The be-ready-by-day-one plan