When I started working as the enrollment and marketing director for an Indiana charter school network, Google Forms seemed like an obvious solution to the question of how to manage charter school registration.
It made sense: Google Forms was something most people were already familiar with — and, best of all, it was free! So I began the process of implementing Google Forms for student registration.
And I quickly discovered that free and familiar don’t necessarily mean best and most scalable.
Relying on a school registration software (if you could even call Google Forms that) that isn’t designed specifically for K-12 student registration and enrollment management can be tricky — and lead to more challenges and inefficiencies down the line.
So before you commit to using Google Forms for new student and returning student registration, consider an option that was designed with schools in mind!
Below, you’ll learn why you should use a formal enrollment management system (like SchoolMint Enroll) to process student registration and manage enrollment, even if you’re a small charter school who may think an official enrollment software is too advanced for your needs.
Managing Student Enrollment is Too Important to Risk Anything Going Wrong
School enrollment isn’t just an administrative task; it’s a pivotal process that directly influences the lives of students and their families.
An official enrollment lottery system is designed with fail-safes and specialized features to handle high-stakes operations, ensuring that every applicant is fairly considered and that the process is free from errors.
Unlike Google Forms, which offers limited customization and no built-in mechanisms to prevent or fix mistakes, specialized lottery systems are equipped to manage complex variables and contingencies inherent in managing K-12 enrollment.
For example, how would you create a Google student lottery form that could balance sibling priorities? How would your Google Forms enrollment system weigh and assign placement to identical twins versus siblings in separate grade levels?
A formal enrollment management platform, such as SchoolMint Enroll, makes those complex tasks significantly easier — and, most importantly, equitable, removing any biases inherent to manually running a student lottery.
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Trust and Transparency in Enrollment
Transparency is paramount in the enrollment process, especially if you have limited seats in your program or are running a student enrollment lottery and need to assign accurate placements.
For programs that are highly desirable, you may have many more applicants than spaces, and parents who don’t get a space for their child might have questions about how those decisions were made.
With Google Forms, you don’t have the ability to easily set priorities and run lotteries directly within the system, opening your process up to questions about integrity and transparency. Official enrollment systems are designed with this process in mind and offer clear and measurable insights into the lottery process and outcomes.
Read the full case study: Boulder Valley School District
Even just HAVING an official enrollment software gives the aura of a more official and transparent process, which can go a long way toward developing trust and transparency with your community.
This is especially important if you’re running a charter school in an area where there is a negative or mixed public perception about your school.
Having an official enrollment platform can build in safeguards that allow you to easily and transparently answer any questions from the media and your community.
Enrollment Software is Easier to Use Than Google Forms
While Google Forms definitely has a user-friendly interface, it has some limitations that make it tricky to run a complex registration system:
- Uploading and storing documents securely
- Running complex rules about addresses and priority zones
- Allowing families to enroll multiple children with one form
- Gathering critical enrollment data
- Syncing enrollment data into your state’s SIS
By contrast, a formal student enrollment platform can guide users through each step of the process, ensure families fill out critical fields, help your school(s) comply with state laws, and much more.
Software Protects Student Privacy and Data Integrity
In an era where data breaches are increasingly common, the privacy and security of applicants’ information cannot be overstated. From 2016 to 2022, there were over 1,600 disclosed attempted school data breaches.
Parents need to trust that their family’s information will be safe with your school. Google Forms, while offering a basic level of security, is not specifically designed with FERPA in mind and SOC2 compliance, unlike SchoolMint Enroll, which exceeds cybersecurity standards for school enrollment systems.
Ability to Track Enrollment and Message Within One System
If you’ve ever been in the unfortunate position of tracking down missing enrollment forms via email or playing phone tag to contact a family regarding incomplete paperwork, you know how much of an administrative hassle managing enrollment can be.
An enrollment software like SchoolMint Enroll, however, allows you to email and text message families individually or en masse regarding missing or incomplete information. Or even just to send reminders about important dates.
This consolidation streamlines the enrollment process, making it more efficient and less prone to errors. It also provides a better experience for parents and guardians, who can receive timely updates and communications regarding their enrollment status.
Built-In Language Translation
When I first used Google Forms for school registration, I created two separate forms: one in English and one in Spanish.
While this provided core functionality in both languages, it was difficult to maintain two separate forms and make sure that all information was collected in both of them — and that was only for two languages, leaving families who spoke other languages having to figure it out on their own.
Having easy translations built into one student registration system not only helps you from an administrative standpoint but also, more importantly, it provides an equitable experience for all families!
Most school enrollment softwares have direct translations available — but some, such as SchoolMint Enroll, have over 17 languages fully translated directly within the platform!
As for the rest? SchoolMint Enroll offers built-in Google Translate integration, which means every family in your community, regardless of the language they speak at home, has the chance to enroll at your school(s).
The Bottom Line About Using Google Forms to Manage Student Enrollment
While Google Forms and similar tools offer general utility and accessibility, and — let’s be honest — the very appealing price point of FREE, the specialized nature of school enrollment demands a more professional approach.
Official student enrollment software systems provide the security, transparency, functionality, and trust that schools need to manage this critical process effectively.
By choosing a system like SchoolMint Enroll that’s designed specifically for school enrollments, educational institutions can ensure a fair, efficient, and professional experience for all involved, reinforcing their commitment to excellence and equity in education.
And, of course, if you’re looking for an enrollment software that both your parents and staff will love — we’ve got you covered with our handy checklist of the things you should make sure your new enrollment software can do.
Check out how SchoolMint Enroll can simplify the enrollment process at your school!
