Schoology aims to combine as many parts of the learning process as possible into a single platform for K-12 students. By doing this they aim to simplify the learning experience for students, parents, and teachers.
N/A
Pricing
Google Classroom
Schoology Learning
Editions & Modules
Education Fundamentals
$0
per license/per month
Google Workspace for Education Standard
$3
per student/per year
Teaching and Learning Upgrade
$4
per license/per month
Google Workspace for Education Plus
$5
per student/per year
Schoology Basic
Free
Schoology Enterprise
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google Classroom
Schoology Learning
Free Trial
Yes
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
Yes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
Education Fundamentals Version - 30-day free trial for qualifying institutions.
Reach out to the vendor for pricing options based on your needs.
Google Classroom and Schoology are academic learning management systems designed primarily for K-12 education. They are both used in schools of all sizes.
Google Classroom differentiates itself by leveraging other Google products and services in its G Suite for Education package, making the typically business-focused applications accessible to students. Schoology, by contrast, is a fully-featured LMS designed from the ground up for use by students and teachers in a K-12 context.
Features
Google Classroom and Schoology share many features, but they execute these features in different ways and with different strengths.
Google Classroom excels at bringing the power and familiarity of Google applications to the classroom. Teachers report that the platform is easy to adopt and learn, especially if their school is already using other Google products. By leveraging other tools in the G Suite for Education package, Classroom offers collaboration, communication, document management, scheduling, and other features. Reviewers report that the platform is easy to use overall, with intuitive grading systems and plenty of tools for digital assignments, meetings, and exams. Google Classroom itself is also free for schools to use, and is under active development. Recent improvements include integrations with third-party student information systems for exporting grades, multi-language support for plagiarism detection, and additional ways for teachers to invite students to their class workspaces.
Schoology, on the other hand, stands on its own as an academic LMS designed specifically for K-12 schools. It’s designed to be accessible even for elementary school students, and also offers portals for parents to view their children’s grades and academic progress. Schoology integrates with a wide range of third-party applications, including Google Workplace, and includes a mobile application for student and parent access. Recent additions to the platform include guides for new users, accessibility improvements for text-to-speech tools, and additional integrations with PowerSchool, Microsoft, and Google applications.
Limitations
Although many schools use Google Classroom and Schoology effectively, they each have limitations to consider before choosing one or the other.
Google Classroom relies heavily on its integrations with other G Suite for Education tools to provide a full range of features. It also lacks some of the extended capabilities of a standalone vendor-supplied LMS. For instance, Google Classroom doesn’t offer as many options as its competitors for parents to view student progress and communicate with teachers. Some teachers found its grading tools relatively simplistic and lacking the customization they wanted for alternative grading methods. Google Classroom’s mobile interface may also be missing features and polish when compared to the browser-based application.
By contrast, Schoology lacks the familiarity and intuitive UI of Google products. Many teachers found the system to have a harsh learning curve, particularly when using features like in-platform grading. Some parents complain about poor user experience and navigation, although recent updates to the software have attempted to improve the parent experience on Schoology’s mobile application. Finally, some users wish for more interface optimizations, such as more efficient workflow options and more agency for teachers when sharing documents.
Pricing
Google Classroom is free for schools to use, and is included in the G Suite for Education package as well. The core G Suite for Education suite is free for eligible institutions. Google also offers G Suite Enterprise for Education, which is priced via a quote from Google and adds additional analytics, security features, and support tools.
Pricing for Schoology is available via a quote from the vendor.
Features
Google Classroom
Schoology Learning
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Google Classroom and Schoology Learning
Google Classroom allows teachers to post for daily lessons and assignments. It also allows teachers to be able to communicate with students easily outside of class. Students are able to stay connected and know where to find all information and resources easily in a streamlined manner for all of their classes.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Schoology does the job well enough, but there are enough areas of contention that make advanced use of the system unwieldy. District staff does not have easy reporting ability to determine adoption and use of the platform without having to export to another program for analysis. The reliability of the system is a huge pain point as we need to deliver the curriculum but cannot count on it being available when we need to use it.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Student-teacher communication - I love using Classroom for this because my students can always go back and check what was on Classroom by looking through the stream. This way they don't have to go dig through emails to find what they're looking for.
Posting to multiple classes - I can post the same announcement or assignment to multiple classes at once without having to repeat the process or send separate emails.
Streamlining grading - when students turn work in on Classroom, it all goes to one place and then when I'm grading I can open their documents directly from Classroom or my Drive folder. This way, I'm not looking through emails and Google Doc shared files for their assignment.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
While this product constantly seeks to make improvements, certain features need tweaking. As educators enroll in various courses, these course tend to accumulate. If the educator is not an administrator of the course, it is next to impossible to get out.
Switching from one course/group to another course/group takes several steps. Not always easy to find the course/group needed.
Testing is particularly important in online learning, and Google Classroom falls far short of other learning management systems in this regard. Security is also a concern: while account control is reasonable for the account used with Google Classroom, the person controlling a particular account is often able to, for example, forward or download proprietary materials.
While we have taken time to re-evaluate our selected 1:1 devices, Schoology's impact on student learning is unquestioned. Students are able to connect with other learners, create and share products of their learning, and develop their digital fluency through their use of Schoology.
Simple design and seamless integration with Google tools and drive, but missing some key features. However, since it is limited in overall functions and ability to truly personalize / customize, it is quite user friendly and easy to set up and get going, other than sending out the code to your course or dropping students in via their gmail account. Users of Google Forms and sites will find the layout similar in design.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
It's very easy to use Schoology. As with any LMS, it helps to learn some tips and tricks prior to getting started. But, each item is clearly indicated within the platform. If I want to add materials, it is right at the top of my screen. If I want to view the calendar, it is indicated to the right of my screen. Navigating a course and the platform is quite straightforward. Additionally, the benefit of Schoology's help center and user community makes asking and answering questions quick and easy.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Generally good, but issue self-reporting has become a problem. When there are issues, it can be 20 minutes to an hour before it gets noted on the status page
Since this platform is provided by Google, the technical support is better than any others, and we are not required to bother about the space constraints for adding the contents. If we have a good uninterrupted internet facility we can access Google Classroom without any delay or lag. They have app support in both Android and iPhone.
We have county-level support and district-level support, but their HELP page offers everything that is needed to answer questions and to find "how-to" information for staff. This includes video and written directions for every available feature. Schoology has also worked with our district to improve their product.
Sit and get with very little hands-on time. 5 minutes to try out a feature/question type, etc. is not enough time. Once your training is done, there is no option for new employees to get that training without having to rebook and pay for the training again. If you pay for basic training, that should be available to a district to use in the future.
It was relatively easy to implement due to the simplicity of the platform. Even our more technology challenged teachers found it easy to get started with Google Classroom.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
I haven't tested or evaluated another digital classroom website or application. I feel like Google Classroom is convenient for many reasons such as compatibility to Google docs, slides, etc. I also love the ability to link to YouTube and other sites. I don't know if there would be a site that is easier to maneuver.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
I have taught using both Edmodo and Google Classroom. While both were easier than Schoology was to get in the beginning, Schoology is infinitely more powerful than either of them was. I can do so much more, and differentiate so much easier using Schoology than I could with either of my previous LMSs.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
We use it 5-12 so scalability is not an issue but sharing materials between departments including common assessments is difficult without paying for add-on features
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
