Your education franchise has grown to multiple locations, but your operations still feel like you're running separate businesses at each site. Parents call asking about class availability, and your staff has no quick way to check schedules across locations without picking up the phone or switching between different systems.

Education business management software gives you one dashboard where you can see instructor availability, class openings, and student records across all of your locations. With the U.S. education franchise sector now standing as a $70 billion industry, with more than 11,000 franchise locations operating nationwide in 2025, having unified systems is more critical than ever.

So when someone needs a makeup class or wants to transfer sites, you can handle it in seconds.

In this article, we'll explain what multi-location management software is and why it's important, and we'll look at some of the options on the market today.

TLDR:

• Multi-location education software consolidates scheduling, billing, and student records across different sites into one dashboard.

• Noto offers support for lesson-based education franchises with multiple locations, as well as tools for class management, billing automation, and CRM.

• Noto also allows ACH payments, which can cut payment processing fees from around 3% to around 0.5%. Depending on the size of your business, this could save thousands of dollars each month.

• Noto's Sales Command Center allows staff to search class availability and instructor schedules across all locations, via one easy-to-use dashboard.

• Noto's integrated CRM automates lead follow-ups and tracks conversion rates across your franchise network.

What Is Multi-Location Education Management Software?

For education businesses with multiple locations, education management software consolidates class scheduling, billing, student records, and administrative tasks into one system.

Instead of managing each location with separate spreadsheets or disconnected tools, you can oversee your entire business from a single dashboard.

If you're running tutoring centers, music schools, or after-school programs across multiple sites, this software maintains consistency while scaling. You get standardized enrollment processes, unified billing practices, and centralized reporting to understand performance across your network.

These systems let educators and administrators:

• Search for class availability across locations and reassign instructors between sites based on demand or coverage needs.

• Compare metrics like attendance rates, revenue per location, and student retention to identify high-performing sites and areas needing support.

• Access real-time student records and payment histories from any location, eliminating duplicate data entry and reducing administrative errors.

Key Features for Multi-Location Education Software

When you're choosing a software for your multi-location education business, look for these key features:

Integrated Billing and Payment Processing

Can the software handle multiple payment methods, automate invoicing across locations, and minimize transaction fees, and does it support ACH payments?

Multi-Site Scheduling Coordination

The best solutions let you search instructor availability and class openings across all locations, reassign staff between sites, and handle makeup class scheduling without switching between different tools.

Centralized Reporting and Analytics

Franchise operators need to compare revenue, attendance, and retention metrics across locations in real time. Systems with dashboards that surface actionable insights are preferable for this reason.

CRM and Lead Management

Look for software that automates lead follow-ups and tracks prospect engagement across all locations.

Scalability

Your business may need software that grows with you, without requiring separate instances per location.

Why Noto Is the Best Overall Multi-Location Education Software

Noto was built for lesson-based education franchises that need class management, billing automation, and CRM functionality in one interface. The Sales Command Center gives staff real-time visibility into class availability and instructor schedules across every location. When a parent needs a makeup class at one site, admins can instantly find open spots at a location and book it in seconds.

Flexible Billing Configuration

With Noto, you can configure any payment model your franchise needs:

• Pay-per-session billing that charges families only for attended classes.

• Upfront term payments that collect a full semester's or full year's tuition in advance.

• Installment plans that split larger payments into scheduled increments.

• Class packages that bundle a set number of sessions at discounted rates.

• Monthly subscriptions that auto-renew until families cancel.

The system automatically generates invoices and processes payments on schedule.

Integrated Lead Management

The built-in CRM captures every inquiry from your website forms and tracks prospects through your sales funnel. Automated reminders prompt your team to follow up with leads, and you can compare conversion rates across locations to identify which sites need sales support.

Lower Payment Processing Costs

Noto supports ACH bank transfers alongside credit cards. Franchises processing high transaction volumes can potentially save thousands of dollars each month by encouraging families to pay by direct bank transfer (with typical processing fees of around 0.5%) fees instead of by credit card (with typical processing fees of around 3%).

Other Solutions to Consider

There are multiple education- and lesson-based business solutions on the market; here's how they stack up against Noto:

Jackrabbit Class

Jackrabbit Class targets dance studios, gymnastics centers, and activity-based schools with structured enrollment patterns. The software handles recurring class schedules and standard tuition billing cycles.

What they offer:

• Class scheduling and enrollment management with recurring session support.

• Tuition billing and payment processing for semester-based programs.

• Attendance tracking and basic reporting.

• Family communication tools.

Jackrabbit works well for single-location studios or small chains that follow traditional semester-based enrollment with straightforward billing. If your education franchise runs predictable class schedules without complex makeup policies or variable pricing models, Jackrabbit may suffice for you.

The software does lack integrated CRM capabilities for tracking leads through your sales pipeline. You'll need separate systems to manage prospect follow-ups and automate lead nurturing across franchise locations. Multi-location coordination features are also limited.

Teachworks

Teachworks handles individual lesson scheduling and basic invoicing for tutoring businesses. The software manages one-on-one appointments and straightforward billing cycles without much complexity.

What they offer:

• Individual lesson scheduling with calendar management for private sessions and recurring appointments.

• Basic invoicing and payment collection that handles per-lesson or monthly billing cycles.

• Student progress tracking to monitor learning outcomes across individual tutoring relationships.

• Simple reporting tools that provide visibility into scheduling patterns and revenue.

Teachworks fits small tutoring operations running mostly individual lessons with simple payment models. If you're scheduling private sessions and billing per lesson or monthly, the core features work.

The interface splits CRM, billing, and communication into separate modules instead of connecting them into integrated workflows. You'll toggle between multiple tabs to complete tasks. This fragmentation may create inefficiencies when you're managing multiple franchise locations that need coordinated operations.

Teachworks handles basic tutoring needs but lacks the automation and integration franchise operations require to scale.

My Music Staff

My Music Staff was designed for music schools that need to schedule private lessons and track student payments. The software covers core operational tasks for independent music academies but takes a basic approach to automation.

What they offer:

• Music lesson scheduling and calendar management.

• Student billing and payment tracking.

• Basic communication tools.

• Simple reporting capabilities.

My Music Staff works for small, independent music schools running traditional weekly lessons with straightforward billing. The software requires manual processes for most billing tasks, communication workflows, and lead follow-ups. As you add franchise locations, this administrative overhead multiplies across your network.

Feature Comparison Table of Multi-Location Education Software

Why Noto Is the Best Multi-Location Education Software

Education franchises managing multiple locations face a choice: piece together separate scheduling, billing, and CRM systems at each site, or consolidate everything in one purpose-built solution.

Noto was built for lesson-based education franchises that need real-time coordination across locations. The Sales Command Center lets your team search instructor availability and class openings across your entire network from one interface. When families need makeup classes or want to switch locations, your staff resolves it in seconds instead of making phone calls between sites.

The integrated CRM captures every lead from all franchise locations and automates follow-up reminders so prospects don't fall through the cracks. Compare conversion rates across your network to identify which locations need sales support.

What's more, our team handles data migration, account configuration, and staff training during onboarding. This comprehensive support is especially valuable considering that schools typically spend 25% to 30% of their technology budget on training and professional development, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Final Thoughts on Education Chain Management Systems

Managing multiple education locations shouldn't mean managing multiple disconnected systems. Education chain management software like Noto brings scheduling, billing, and CRM into one interface so your franchise actually works as a network. You get real-time reporting across all sites, lower payment processing fees with ACH, and automated workflows that reduce admin work at every location. We're happy to walk you through how it works for your specific franchise setup.

FAQ

How do I manage makeup classes across multiple franchise locations?

Use Noto's Sales Command Center, which searches class availability and instructor schedules across your entire network in real time. When a student needs a makeup class, staff can instantly find open spots at any location and book it without phone calls between sites.

What's the difference between ACH and credit card payment processing for education franchises?

ACH bank transfers typically cost around 0.5% per transaction while credit cards typically charge around 3%. For franchises processing thousands of monthly payments, switching families to ACH can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month.

Can I track lead conversion rates across different franchise locations?

Yes, integrated CRM systems capture inquiries from all locations and track prospects through your sales funnel. You can compare conversion rates across sites to identify which locations need sales support or training.