Independent and International School MIS Guide

Classroom365 is often asked which is the best MIS for independent schools. There are lots that specialise in independent and international schools, and we run through the leading players in the private school sector.

  • We won’t be discussing choosing SIMS if you want to change your MIS. You may have SIMS, and its fall from the leading and most popular MIS in schools is simply spectacular.
  • Arbor and Bromcom are the most rapidly growing MIS in schools. They are for state schools: maintained, academies, multi-academy trusts, and other non-fee-paying schools. You can read here, Classroom365’s school management software reviews for state schools.
  • However, fee-paying schools need a more specialised MIS to handle school fees, for example.

We hope we can help you make the right choice. Please complete the contact form below or call us for some advice and recommendations based on what you need from your new MIS.

comparing the best mis systems for independent and private schools
Planning to migrate your MIS. Get in touch with our team.

Who to Choose for your Independent School MIS?

iSAMS by IRIS

Widely used across the independent and international school sector, with a strong focus on admissions, billing, finance, HR, parent access and integrations. iSAMS supports more than 1,700 international schools worldwide, according to AMCIS.

Tes Engage (formerly Engage MIS)

Education Horizons became part of Tes in 2025 with its MIS for K-12 independent schools.

HUBmis by WCBS

A popular MIS for independent schools. HUBmis is increasing its market share in the international and independent sectors.

SchoolBase by Furlong

Another established independent school MIS, with international usage and cloud access supporting over 250 schools.

Compass MIS

A recent entrant to the UK education MIS sector and offers MIS solutions for both independent and state schools.

Satchel One

Developed from a learning platform, launched its integrated cloud MIS in 2024 for the state and independent sectors.

With the collapse of SIMS, new companies are popping up, looking to take advantage and gain market share. Some are international companies, like Compass MIS from Australia, which is gaining market share in both the independent and state-maintained education sectors with their MIS solution.

All of these MIS providers for independent schools are cloud-based. This means you don’t need an on-site server with regular patches to install. Your onsite school’s ICT support will have more time instead of running around updating desktops when your MIS stops working while teachers are doing registers!

With a cloud MIS, this is done by the MIS provider, whether it’s HUBmis or iSAMS, and is constantly updated in the cloud. No more on-site SIMS backup of your school MIS will be required.

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international school mis platforms for admissions and reporting

How Independent School MIS Requirements Differ From State Schools

The main difference between an independent MIS for schools and one like Arbor MIS is the fee-paying aspects. All the MIS systems listed above have integrations for invoicing parents and accepting payments. Most, like Engage and iSAMS, have developed their own, but plenty of third-party APIs and plugins allow online payments. Some of the payment features include:

  • Automated bill and payment chasing.
  • Managing deposits, school fees and insurance requests.
  • International payments and open banking for instant credit and debits.
  • Credit card payments are made with Stripe, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
  • Financial planning and accounting reporting.

In addition to handling school fees, independent school MIS systems incorporate HR data and exam planning and management. Exam data can be imported manually or on the fly seamlessly with exam boards.

Most independent school MIS solutions include tracking tools for pupil progress, attendance, wellbeing, admissions and reporting. However, private school tracking systems can vary significantly between providers, so it is worth comparing how each platform presents data, supports reporting and connects with parent communication tools.

Independent and international schools are essentially businesses. Depending on the MIS chosen, marketing and promotional tools may be included or available as an additional add-on, which can influence your decision when choosing your next school MIS. If you are planning a change, our MIS migration guide explains what to consider when moving from SIMS or another platform and preparing your school’s infrastructure.

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independent school mis options for fee-paying schools

Support for independent school MIS platforms is usually provided by the software provider, as these systems are often more specialist. Our guide explains how support is typically structured and where wider IT support may be required.

Which MIS for International Schools?

An international school MIS works in the same way as for independent schools. Both require the same features and functions in common with a maintained school MIS:

  • Tracking attendance for students.
  • Behavioural monitoring with instant reporting.
  • Pastoral management and recording student’s well-being.
  • Assigning homework and academic performance monitoring. Not all school MIS systems have homework features with individual student logins, so if this is a critical module, it’s worth checking before you decide on a new school MIS.

All the MIS systems described here are appropriate for fee-paying schools. This is their target market, and all have their pros and cons.

If you are comparing platforms such as iSAMS, Engage, HUBmis, SchoolBase or Compass, Classroom365 can advise on your school’s IT, integrations and the practical requirements.

independent school tracking solution for pupil progress and reporting