NYCPS vs Sum Blocks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NYCPS
This app enables parents and guardians to monitor their children's academic journey within the NYC Public School system. It provides access to grades, class schedules, attendance records, and assignment details.
- View grades
- Check schedules
- Monitor attendance
- Track assignments
- Support child's education
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NYCPS - NYCSA Mobile app allows parents/guardians to support and track their children's progress through public school education at the NYC Public Schools through the mobile app. It allows parents to view grades, schedules, attendance, and assignments.
Sum Blocks
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Drag blocks onto an 8x8 board. Fill a whole row or column and it blasts. Clear four lines and a math question appears under the board. Answer it and you are not given points — you are given a tool. A bomb that clears a 3x3 patch. A hammer that knocks a single block out. A shuffle that swaps the three pieces you are stuck with. Doing the math makes you stronger at the puzzle, and a child who never answers a question can still finish every level. SKILL MISSIONS Each mission is one arithmetic skill — times tables, sharing, big adding, taking away — and inside it every question is that one skill. Four levels each, with goals like "blast twelve lines" or "score 1,600 using thirty blocks or fewer". A block budget, not a clock, so nothing hurries a child. DAILY CHALLENGE One puzzle a day, built from the date itself, so every player in the world gets the same blocks in the same order. Play two days running and a streak starts. CLASSIC Endless blocks with no goal but your own best score. Easy, Normal and Hard change the shapes you are dealt, how fast the big ones arrive, and how long you get on a question. THE BLOCKS ARE NEVER TIMED A child can stare at a move for as long as they like. Only the bonus question has a countdown, and letting it run out costs nothing — it shows the answer and play carries on. NINETEEN KINDS OF QUESTION, KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 6 Pick the grade and the questions stay inside it. Nothing above it can appear. Difficulty is a separate setting, so a grade 2 child can play Hard and a grade 6 child can play Easy. FOR PARENTS No accounts and no email. Scores stay on the device. There is one full-page ad after a game ends, never during play, and a single payment removes it for good. An adults' area behind a four-digit gate holds the purchase and an optional daily reminder.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NYCPS at none against Sum Blocks's 1. NYCPS also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Sum Blocks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NYCPS asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | NYCPS | Sum Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (73 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 10.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 73 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | — |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | New York City Dept of Education | Chaim Lebowits |
Bugs and requests
NYCPS
Reported bugs
13 issues- Stuck at 'Select Student' page with no students to select
- Login screen freezes
- App logs out frequently
- App doesn't accept correct credentials
- App crashes repeatedly
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- App doesn't allow login even with correct information
- App redirects to the website instead of functioning
- App freezes after hitting enter on login
- App doesn't recognize parent account credentials
- App doesn't let you go back to re-enter credentials
- App doesn't clear previous login info after deletion
- Login button is not visible due to screen size
- App prompts incorrect username or password despite website working
Requested features
7 requests- Bring back PupilPath
- Fix login issues
- Allow users to stay logged in
- Make app work with larger text sizes
- Ensure login button is visible on all screen sizes
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- Improve grading system breakdown
- Allow re-entry of login credentials after deletion
Sum Blocks
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NYCPS
No in-app purchases
Sum Blocks
- Remove Ads$2.99









