Gradebook

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Gradebook, from getting started to managing your school's day-to-day operations.

Getting Started

- Who is Gradebook for?
Gradebook serves everyone in the secondary school community. Students use it to check their results and manage their school-related payments. Teachers rely on it to record grades and generate report cards. Bursars track fees and financial transactions. School administrators get complete oversight of academic and operational performance. Even parents benefit through transparent access to their children's academic progress and payment records.

- How is Gradebook different from other school management systems?
Most school management software is built for foreign educational systems and then awkwardly adapted for Nigerian schools. Gradebook is different—it's designed from the ground up specifically for how Nigerian secondary schools actually operate. We understand your three-term calendar, your grading structures, WAEC registration requirements, and the unique financial and administrative challenges you face. We're not forcing you to adapt to generic software; we've built software that adapts to you.

Pricing & Plans

- How much does Gradebook cost?
We offer three subscription tiers to fit different school sizes and needs. Our Free Plan accommodates up to 50 students and provides essential grade management features at no cost. The Junior Secondary Plan, designed for JSS 1-3 operations, costs ₦15,000 per year and supports up to 200 students with comprehensive features. Our Senior Secondary Plan, our complete solution for both junior and senior secondary, costs ₦30,000 per year and includes unlimited students, advanced features, and priority support. All paid plans are billed annually, though we also offer per-term payment options.

- Is there a free trial?
Absolutely. Our Free Plan isn't just a trial—it's a fully functional version of Gradebook that smaller schools can use indefinitely. For schools wanting to test our paid features before committing, we offer a 30-day trial of either the Junior or Senior Secondary Plan. This gives you enough time to explore everything, migrate your data, and see how Gradebook transforms your operations before making a financial commitment.

- Can I switch plans later?
Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time. If you start with the Free Plan and your school grows, upgrading to Junior or Senior Secondary Plan takes just a few clicks. If you upgrade mid-year, we'll prorate the cost so you only pay for the remaining months. Downgrading is equally straightforward, though we'll work with you to ensure you don't lose any critical data in the transition.

Features & Functionality

- Can Gradebook handle both junior and senior secondary students?
Yes. Our Senior Secondary Plan is designed to manage students across all levels—from JSS 1 through SSS 3. You can organize classes by level, assign different teachers and subjects to each class, and track academic progress throughout a student's entire secondary school journey. The system understands that JSS and SSS have different subject requirements and grading structures, and it handles both seamlessly.

- Can we register students for WAEC through Gradebook?
Yes. Gradebook streamlines the entire WAEC registration process for both Junior WAEC (BECE) and Senior WAEC (WASSCE). You can register students, manage their subject selections, organize candidate information, and track registration status all within the platform. This takes what's traditionally a time-consuming administrative burden and turns it into a manageable process that saves your staff weeks of work.

- What about report cards and transcripts?
Gradebook generates professional, comprehensive report cards automatically. Once teachers have entered grades for the term, the system compiles everything—subject scores, term totals, cumulative averages, class positions, and teacher comments—into polished report cards ready for printing or digital distribution. For transcripts covering a student's entire academic history, Gradebook pulls together all their results across multiple terms and years, formatted professionally for WAEC, university applications, or transfer requests.

- How do you handle fee payments and financial tracking?
Gradebook creates a complete financial record for each student. When payments are received—whether for school fees, exam fees, study materials, excursions, or extra-curricular activities—they're recorded in the system immediately. Bursars can see real-time collection rates, identify outstanding balances, generate financial reports, and track payments across different categories. Students and parents can log in to see exactly what they've paid and what remains outstanding, eliminating disputes and confusion.

Data & Security

- Is our school's data safe?
Data security is fundamental to everything we do. Gradebook is built on the Scola platform, which uses enterprise-grade security measures including encrypted data transmission, secure cloud storage, regular backups, and strict access controls. Your school's information is protected by the same security standards used by banks and major corporations. We never share your data with third parties, and you maintain complete ownership of your school's information.

- What happens if we lose internet connection?
Gradebook is a cloud-based platform, so you do need internet access to use it. However, because your data lives in the cloud rather than on a single computer, you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection—your office, home, or even your phone. We also perform automatic backups, so even if there's a technical issue, your data is never lost.

- Can we export our data?
Absolutely. You own your school's data, and you can export it anytime you need. Gradebook allows you to download student records, grade reports, financial data, and other information in standard formats like Excel or PDF. If you ever decide to stop using Gradebook (though we hope you won't), you can take all your data with you—there's no lock-in.

- What if we already have student data in spreadsheets?
We help you migrate existing data into Gradebook. You don't have to start from scratch or manually re-enter years of student information. Our team can guide you through importing student lists, historical grades, and other records from your current spreadsheets or systems. This makes the transition smooth and ensures you maintain continuity in your student records.

Implementation & Support

- How long does it take to set up Gradebook?
Setup time varies depending on your school's size and how much existing data you're migrating. For a small school starting fresh, you can be up and running in a few hours. Larger schools with extensive historical records might take a few days to complete the full setup. We provide step-by-step guidance throughout the process, and our support team is available to help if you encounter any challenges.

- Do we need technical expertise to use Gradebook?
No. Gradebook is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, even for people who aren't particularly tech-savvy. If you can use email, browse websites, and work with basic documents, you can use Gradebook. We also provide training resources, video tutorials, and ongoing support to help your staff get comfortable with the platform quickly.

- What kind of training do you provide?
When you sign up for Gradebook, we provide comprehensive onboarding that includes video tutorials covering all major features, written documentation and user guides, live training sessions for your staff (available for Senior Secondary Plan users), and ongoing email and phone support. We want your entire team—from teachers to administrators to bursars—to feel confident using the platform from day one.

- What if we need help or have questions?
Our support team is here for you. You can reach us via email at support@gradebook.ng or by phone during business hours (Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM WAT). Senior Secondary Plan subscribers get priority support with faster response times. We also maintain a knowledge base with articles, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides that you can access anytime.

- Can Gradebook grow with our school?
Yes. Whether you start with 50 students or 500, Gradebook scales to match your needs. As your school grows, you can upgrade to plans that accommodate more students, add more users, and access additional features. The platform is built to handle schools of all sizes, from small private institutions to large public schools with thousands of students.

Still Have Questions?

We haven't covered everything here—every school is unique, and you might have specific questions about how Gradebook fits your particular situation. That's completely normal, and we're happy to help.
The best way to get answers tailored to your school is to reach out directly. Send us an email at support@gradebook.ng, give us a call, or fill out the contact form on our website. We'll take the time to understand your needs and explain exactly how Gradebook can serve your institution.

You can also request a personalized demonstration where we walk through the platform, show you features most relevant to your school, and answer questions in real-time. There's no pressure, no obligation—just an honest conversation about whether Gradebook is the right fit for you.