Tool profile
Compass: cost, fit and limits
Compass is a school management platform made by Compass Education Pty Ltd that provides a school-branded portal and mobile app with attendance, administration, clubs, ticketed events and staffing tools for schools. It serves school operations, events and staffing from one login.
What to know first
Compass sells through a one-to-one demo with its customer success team, and no prices appear on the pages we read. The platform offers a school-branded portal and app, attendance and admin tools, co-curricular management across year levels and campuses, ticketed events with online payments and a staffing system for allocations and duty changes. No AI feature is named. Government school pages promise automation.
Compass at a glance
| Maker | Compass Education Pty Ltd, Australia |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Entry price | Quote only |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI School Management Software in 2026, rank 9 of 11 |
| Website | compass.education |
Who Compass is best for
Schools running many clubs and events
Clubs and co-curricular programs span year levels and campuses, and ticketed events carry online sales, payments and attendee tracking. A school with a large program can run sign-up and tracking in one place.
Schools with complex staffing changes
Staffing allocations, extras and duty changes live in one admin system, which suits timetabling offices that handle daily cover. A timetabling office handling daily cover can avoid separate spreadsheets for changes.
Schools that want their own branded app
The portal and mobile app carry the school's branding, so families see the school rather than a vendor name. Parents open one app tied to the school's name and branding.
Compass plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Compass school platform | Custom quote | Demo-led sales; pricing is not on the pages we read. Sold through the customer success team, with no figure, seat unit or term on the pages we read. |
| One-to-one demo | No charge stated | A session with the customer success team, listed as the entry step. The session is listed as the entry step, and no charge or length is stated on the pages we read. |
| Published price list | Not published | No figures appear on the pages we read, and no free trial is mentioned. No price list, free plan or trial period is mentioned. |
Checked November 2026.
What Compass does
- School-branded portal and app
- The portal and mobile app can carry the school's branding. The pages do not detail notification settings or language support. Ask to see a live school's app.
- Clubs and co-curricular
- Clubs can be managed across year levels and campuses. A school with a large program should check sign-up and roll-marking flows in the demo. Test the roll-marking flow in the demo.
- Ticketed events
- Online ticket sales, payments and attendee tracking are included in the described feature set. Payment fees and processors were not stated on the pages we read.
- Staffing system
- Allocations, extras and duty changes are handled in one admin system. Check how substitute assignment and notifications work. Check how substitutes are assigned and notified by the system.
- Partner integrations
- The homepage mentions best-in-class partner integrations without names. Ask for the list. The homepage claims best-in-class partners, but the pages we read do not list product names or the plans that include them.
How Compass handles your data
The privacy policy says personal information is kept only as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose collected, including legal, tax and reporting requirements. A written retention policy exists and details are available on request. It does not state whether customer data trains models. Hosting region and certifications are not stated on the pages we read, so a school should request both and the sub-processor list.
Where Compass falls short in practice
- No AI feature. No AI feature is named, and the government schools page says only that daily tasks will be automated. Ask the vendor whether any AI feature is planned and how student data would be handled if so.
- Sales through demo. Pricing is hidden behind a demo, which slows a first cost comparison. A school cannot compare Compass to a published rate and should request a written quote with every add-on listed.
- Unnamed integrations. Partner integrations are claimed without names, so a school must verify its own systems. Ask for a list of connected partner products and confirm that each is included in the quoted plan.
Works with
Alternatives to Compass
Compass: common questions
Does Compass include AI features?
No AI feature is named on the pages we read. The government schools page says daily tasks will be automated without naming an AI feature. A school that needs AI should ask the vendor to show any planned or released tools before signing.
How much does Compass cost?
No prices appear on the pages we read, and the site sends visitors to a one-to-one demo. Ask for a written quote covering the portal, app, events, staffing and any add-ons, with the contract term and renewal terms. Request the quote in writing.
Can Compass manage school events?
Yes. The vendor lists ticketed events with online sales, payments and attendee tracking, and clubs and co-curricular programs across year levels and campuses. Check payment processor fees and refund handling in the demo. Confirm refund handling as well. Ask for the vendor's data processing terms as well.
Where does Compass store data?
The pages we read do not state a hosting region. The privacy policy says a written retention policy exists and details are available on request. Ask for the hosting location, the retention schedule and the sub-processor list. Ask about the transfer of data too.
Can a school brand the Compass app?
The vendor describes a school-branded portal and mobile app. The pages do not show how deep the branding goes, such as app store listing, colors and notification names, so ask to see a live school's app. Ask about language options.