Understanding Your Options: School Signals vs. ClassDojo
ClassDojo is a for classroom communication, specifically for sharing updates with parents, posting student work (portfolios), and tracking behavior.
School Signals takes a broader approach. The school communication software is designed for the entire school community from day one. The app platform connects administrators, office staff, teachers, and parents in one place. In School Signals, too, teachers can share classroom news that parents can comment, but our system is not focused on student behavior or portfolio sharing.
Beyond messaging, the School Signals platform includes school-wide posts for news and announcements, volunteer signups, parent-teacher conference scheduling, custom forms for feedback and waivers, and event RSVPs.
The chart below breaks down how the two platforms compare across communication features, parent engagement, mobile access, and pricing—so you can see what fits best for your school’s goals.
| Item | ClassDojo | School Signals |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Features | + Messaging between teachers and parents + Class-wide announcements through the Class Story feed + Commenting and reactions on teacher posts + Auto-translation into 35+ languages | + School Feed for school-wide news and announcements + Commenting and reactions on teacher posts + Post notifications + Scheduled posts for announcements + Parents can participate in the discussion feeds + AI driven profanity checks for content monitoring + Classroom communication + Discussion threads integrated to most features + Direct messaging between teachers and parents + Event announcements with RSVP tracking + Parents are automatically included to applicable grade-level communication; they do not need to join each audience separately. Just one invitation message instead of many. |
| Parent Engagement Features | + Behavior tracking (positive and needs-work points) + Teachers can share student work through digital portfolios | + RSVP-enabled events + Volunteer Signup + Parent Groups by classroom and activity. + School directory profiles with hobbies/interests/pictures for community networking + School-wide Parent-Teacher Conference scheduler and management |
| Other Features | + Student behavior tracking (PBIS support) + Student portfolio and assignment sharing | + Online Forms (surveys, permission slips, feedback forms) + Documents management + School Calendar for important dates + Photo Galleries for school/classroom sharing + Staff Groups for internal school communication |
| Mobile App | Yes. Limited functions available via web browser | Yes. + School Signals includes all admin features (including account management) to the App. + Easy to navigate |
| Audience | • Built primarily for individual classrooms and small groups • Adopted teacher-by-teacher; school-wide coordination possible but less common • Focuses heavily on student behavior and parent-teacher connection at the class level | • Always provided for the entire school and school district, for school's all communication needs. • Designed for admins, teachers, office staff, and volunteers to coordinate together |
| Pricing | + Premium features like ClassDojo Plus are geared toward parents, not schools • Pricing details not fully public | + Free 30-day trial + $0.32 to $.0.55 cents per student per year |