PTO management software that every parent actually uses.
SchoolRelay gives your parent group a public hub for announcements, events, volunteer coordination, and committee pages — free for the Community plan, no webmaster required.
Most PTO management tools are built for the board, not for families. The seven capabilities below are what makes the difference between software your whole community uses and software only your treasurer logs into.
Public parent hub
One URL families bookmark. Announcements, calendar, links, and volunteer signups in one place — no app download required.
Volunteer coordination
Create signup sheets inside events with role capacity tracking. Parents sign up without creating an account.
Committee pages
Separate sub-group pages for fundraising, room parents, booster clubs, and grade teams. Each lead manages their own section.
Weekly email digests
Automated summary emails sent to subscribed families on a schedule you set. No manual newsletter assembly.
Push notifications
Families who save the hub as a PWA get lockscreen alerts for new announcements. No app store install needed.
Analytics dashboard
See which announcements families open, which events drive signups, and how many families visit each week.
Board transition ready
Add incoming officers as admins and remove outgoing ones. No website passwords or hosting credentials to transfer.
How SchoolRelay compares to other PTO management platforms
The PTO software market splits into two categories: communication-first tools (SchoolRelay, ClassTag, Remind) and operations-first tools (Membership Toolkit, Konstella). Operations tools handle paid memberships, student directories, and spirit wear stores. If your PTO doesn't run those programs, you're paying for features you'll never use.
Category
SchoolRelay
Other PTO tools
Parent communication hub
Free
$550–$800/yr tools that bundle this with back-office features you may not need
Volunteer signups
Built in (Pro)
Separate SignUpGenius or Signup.com account
Parent app required?
No — public web page
Most require parents to install an app or create an account
Small PTOs (under 100 families): Community plan covers everything. Publish announcements, post the event calendar, share key links, and coordinate one volunteer event at a time. Most small PTOs are live in under 10 minutes with no technical setup.
Mid-size PTOs with committees: Pro plan adds unlimited committee pages. Your fundraising chair manages the fundraiser page; room parent coordinators manage grade-level pages; the board manages the main PTO hub. Everyone sees one school-branded destination.
New PTOs launching in August: SchoolRelay works faster than any alternative — you can have a live URL to share at Back to School Night without waiting for a designer or domain transfer. Parents get one link that works for the entire school year.
Boards navigating leadership transitions: Add incoming officers as admins in 30 seconds. Remove outgoing officers the same way. There are no hosting credentials, no website builder logins, and no design tools to hand off. The new board inherits everything already published.
FAQ
Is SchoolRelay really free PTO management software?
Yes. The Community plan is free with no credit card and no trial period. It supports one group page, push notifications, and up to 10 announcements and 10 events. The Pro plan at $99/year adds unlimited groups, volunteer coordination, and email digests.
Does SchoolRelay replace Membership Toolkit or Konstella?
Only if your PTO's primary need is parent communication. Membership Toolkit and Konstella add paid memberships, student directories, and spirit wear stores. SchoolRelay does not. If those back-office features matter, SchoolRelay is a complement (for the public parent hub) rather than a full replacement.
Can parents use SchoolRelay without installing an app?
Yes. SchoolRelay is a public web page. Parents open one URL, see all updates, and can add to their calendar. They can optionally save the page to their home screen as a PWA for push notifications — no app store install required.
How many schools or PTOs can one account manage?
One SchoolRelay account covers one school hub. For multiple schools under a district, reach out about district licensing. Each school gets its own URL and admin team.
What happens to our content when the board transitions?
Nothing changes. Add the incoming president as an admin, remove outgoing officers. All published content, the event calendar, and your school URL stay exactly as they are. There are no hosting credentials or passwords to transfer.
PTO Management Software — Free Parent Hub for School Groups
SchoolRelay is free PTO management software for school parent groups. Announcements, events, volunteer signups, and committee pages in one hub parents use all year.
What is PTO management software?
PTO management software is a tool that helps school parent organizations communicate with families, coordinate volunteers, and manage group operations. The market divides into two types: communication-first tools that give families a public hub for announcements, events, and signups (SchoolRelay, ClassTag, Remind); and operations tools that handle paid memberships, student directories, and spirit wear (Membership Toolkit, Konstella). SchoolRelay is a free communication-first platform that gives any PTO or PTA a public hub page at a permanent URL — no app download, no parent account required. The Community plan is free with no trial period. The Pro plan at $99 per year adds unlimited committee pages, automated email digests, volunteer coordination, and detailed analytics. SchoolRelay does not handle dues collection, student directories, or e-commerce. For PTOs that primarily need parents to find information and sign up for events, it covers the full communication workflow without the cost of an operations platform.
