Pearspark vs Transparent Classroom
For small private schools & micro schools · pricing verified July 2026 · written by the Pearspark team (how we compare)
The short answer
Transparent Classroom is purpose-built Montessori record-keeping at $2 per child per month — lesson tracking, observations, and parent updates. It isn't a full SIS: report cards, transcripts, scheduling, and library live elsewhere. Pearspark covers those school operations at $50/month including 20 students; some Montessori schools run both.
Pearspark
All-in-one platform for small private schools — records, academics, admissions, library, volunteers, scheduling, portal.
Pricing: $50/mo including 20 students, then $2.50/student/mo stepping down to $1.00 at volume. No setup fees, no contract, 30-day free trial.
Setup is self-serve, with importers that preview every row before anything is written — no setup fees, and free email support when you're stuck.
Transparent Classroom
Montessori record-keeping — lesson tracking, observations, and a parent window into the classroom.
Pricing: Transparent Classroom lists $2 per child per month, billed only for actively enrolled children, with unlimited classrooms and staff (as of July 2026).
What each costs at small-school sizes
| Students | Pearspark | Transparent Classroom |
|---|---|---|
| 25 students | $62.50/mo | $50/mo |
| 50 students | $125/mo | $100/mo |
| 100 students | $250/mo | $200/mo |
| 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, no contract. No fundraising CRM, no subsidy billing, and no SMS broadcast — announcements reach families as push notifications and email instead. | $2 per actively enrolled child covers Montessori lesson tracking, observations and the parent window, with unlimited classrooms and staff. Report cards, transcripts, scheduling, admissions, billing and library are outside it. |
Transparent Classroom pricing from its published list rates as of July 2026 — see sources below. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Pearspark | Transparent Classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Student records (SIS) | Partial | |
| Attendance | ||
| Gradebook & report cards | Partial | |
| Standards-based grading & mastery | Partial | |
| Records protected if the school closes | ||
| Transcripts & GPA | ||
| Missing-data reports & scheduled delivery | ||
| Admissions pipeline | Partial | |
| Class scheduling & rooms | ||
| Lending library & checkout | ||
| Equipment & room booking | ||
| Volunteer tracking & check-in | ||
| Parent & student portal | ||
| Messaging | Partial | |
| Self-serve transcript & gradebook import | ||
| Tuition billing & payments | ||
| Published pricing (no sales call) | ||
| Fundraising & donor CRM | ||
| SMS / text broadcast to families | ||
| Subsidy & agency billing |
= varies by plan or not published — check with the vendor. We mark unknowns as unknowns rather than counting them against Transparent Classroom. The last three rows are jobs Pearspark does not do, listed for the same reason: a school that runs an annual fund, texts its families, or bills an agency should find that out here. On texting: Pearspark reaches families as push notifications through the installable parent app, plus email — not SMS. Underlined feature names open the Pearspark page for that capability, so you can check what our ✓ actually means.
Where Transparent Classroom shines
- Montessori lesson tracking in its own shape: presented → practiced → mastered
- A parent window with photos and observations
- Month-to-month, billed only for actively enrolled children, so it pauses over summer
Worth knowing
- Not a general SIS — traditional report cards, GPA, and transcripts aren't the model
- No admissions pipeline, library circulation, volunteers, or scheduling
- Less fit the moment a program adds non-Montessori upper grades
When Transparent Classroom is the better choice
For a pure Montessori program, Transparent Classroom's lesson-tracking is the genuine article, and nothing general-purpose replaces it. Schools tend to add Pearspark when operations grow around the classroom: admissions, a lending library, volunteers, and older students who need transcripts.
When Pearspark is the better choice
Pearspark is built for small private schools — from a dozen students to several hundred: micro schools, classical schools, Montessori programs, hybrid academies, and homeschool co-ops. Everything is included at one published price: student records, a spreadsheet-style gradebook with built-in student analytics (trends, score distributions, missing-work tracking), report cards, printable transcripts with GPA, school-year attendance calendars, admissions, class scheduling, tuition billing with online payments, a lending library with barcode checkout, equipment booking, volunteer check-in, messaging, and a parent/student portal. Setup is self-serve, and built-in migration tools import your rosters, transcripts, and gradebooks from Transparent Classroom CSV exports with a dry-run preview.
The parts this comparison turns on
Common questions
Is Pearspark a Montessori record-keeping system?
No — Transparent Classroom's presented/practiced/mastered lesson tracking is purpose-built for Montessori pedagogy and Pearspark doesn't replicate it. Pearspark covers the school around the classroom: enrollment, attendance, admissions, library, volunteers, scheduling, and (for older students) grades and transcripts.
Can a Montessori school use both?
Yes, and the pairing is natural: Transparent Classroom for classroom-level Montessori records and the parent window, Pearspark as the operational system of record. At $2/child and $2.50/student respectively, a 30-student school runs both for about $135/month.
Which is cheaper?
Transparent Classroom at every size ($2/child/month with no base fee vs Pearspark's $50 base + $2.50/student after 20) — but they're different tools. The cost comparison only matters if lesson-tracking is your only need; then Transparent Classroom wins outright.
See Pearspark for yourself
Every task is on video — one minute each — and your first 30 days are free. No sales call.
Support: email support answered by a person is included with every plan, along with how-to videos and guides — there are no paid support tiers.
Sources
Last reviewed July 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we'll fix it.
Transparent Classroom in a wider comparison
These guides price Transparent Classroom alongside every other system in this list, at 25, 50 and 100 students.