Arbor School MIS review
A broad school MIS for attendance, communications, payments and workflow automation.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Arbor School MIS is a cloud-based management information system for primary, secondary, special, alternative provision and pupil referral schools. It brings together student and staff records, attendance, behaviour, assessment, progress tracking, admissions, reporting, communications, payments and school workflows. Web, iOS and Android access support different users across the school community, while Parent and Student Portals and apps extend access beyond staff. It is best suited to schools seeking one system for administration, family engagement and workflow automation.
Its package structure makes the product’s scope clear. Core includes attendance, behaviour, progress tracking, census and statutory reporting, clubs and trips, and report cards. Comms adds everything in Core plus parent and student portals and apps, parents evening booking, meal management and payments. Perform adds formative assessment, Payments Plus, assignments, interventions and My Classroom. Pricing is handled through a sales process and annual licence documentation, so schools should compare the required package against their operational priorities before choosing a tier.
Arbor’s strongest fit is for schools that want communications and administrative workflows connected to core MIS records. Digital attendance registers, applicant tracking, email and SMS communications, online and offline payments, and reporting cover a wide range of daily processes. Forms, tasks, approvals and reminders add workflow automation, while Google Classroom, Microsoft 365 and Stripe integrations support the wider platform environment. AI-assisted features include Ask Arbor and Ofsted Inspection Companion. Schools needing advanced formative assessment, interventions or classroom tools should consider Perform; those wanting only a narrow attendance or messaging tool may find Arbor broader than necessary.
Arbor School MIS pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Covers attendance, assessment, admissions, payments and reporting
- Parent and student portals support communication and engagement
- Forms, approvals, reminders and integrations automate school workflows
- Where it doesn't
- Pricing requires a sales process and annual licence documentation
- Parent and student apps begin with the Comms package
- Advanced assessment and classroom tools require the Perform package
Arbor School MIS fact sheet, pricing and score →
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