Comparison

ParentSquare vs Highland Local Schools

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ParentSquare

This app connects schools and families, centralizing all communication and updates. It allows for direct messaging with teachers, receiving important alerts, and managing school-related activities. Families can stay informed about their child's education and school community in one convenient place.

Highlights
  • Centralized school communication
  • Direct messaging with teachers
  • Automated language translation
  • School news and updates
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Volunteer and conference sign-ups
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

What is ParentSquare? ParentSquare helps schools and families stay connected and informed—all in one easy place. Whether it’s a quick message from a teacher, an important alert from the district, or a reminder about tomorrow’s field trip, ParentSquare makes sure families never miss a thing. Why families and teachers love ParentSquare: • Simple, easy-to-use app and website • Messages are automatically translated into 190+ languages • Best-in-class safety and security practices • One place for all school updates, alerts, and messages With ParentSquare, families and staff save time and stay connected—so everyone can focus on helping students succeed. ParentSquare for iOS The ParentSquare app makes it easy for families to stay in the loop and engage with their child’s school community. With the app, parents and guardians can: • See school news, classroom updates, and photos • Receive important notices like attendance alerts and cafeteria balances • Message teachers and staff directly • Join group conversations • Sign up for wishlist items, volunteering, and conferences • Respond to absences or tardies* • Pay school-related fees and invoices* * If included with your school's implementation

About

Highland Local Schools

This app centralizes essential information for parents, students, and faculty, offering easy mobile access to news, events, media, and a directory. Stay informed about school happenings and connect with the community on the go.

Highlights
  • News and announcements
  • Photos, videos, and documents
  • Calendar events
  • Constituent directory
  • Athletic event details
  • Contact faculty and students
Features
Read full description

The Highland Local School District app provides parents, students, and faculty members with all the information they need in one place, conveniently accessed and formatted specifically for consumption on their mobile devices. The app includes: - Blogs, news and announcements - Pictures, videos and documents - Calendar events - Constituent directory and more - MORE ITEMS HERE Download the app today to ensure you are always aware of the most important news, announcements and calendar events, and you have access on-the-go to the most current community directory. Users are able to: - Browse the latest published photos and videos - Filter content and store those preferences for subsequent use - Catch up on current news - Review athletic event details, including opponents, game results, recap commentaries, and more - Browse calendars for information about upcoming events. Filter calendars to see the events most relevant to their interests. - Quickly find faculty, parent, student and alumni contact information - Call or email a constituent directly from your device The information presented in the Highland Local School District app is drawn from the same source as the Highland Local School District website. Privacy controls restrict sensitive information only to authorized users.

Screenshots

ParentSquare4 screens
Highland Local Schools4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ParentSquare at 51% against Highland Local Schools's 0%. ParentSquare also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.7) and update cadence (weekly vs every 26 months). Highland Local Schools's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ParentSquare holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ParentSquare has 100K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of ParentSquare's written reviews are positive against 0% of Highland Local Schools's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ParentSquare ships an update weekly, Highland Local Schools every 26 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
ParentSquare versus Highland Local Schools: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterParentSquareHighland Local Schools
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (100K ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews51.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings100K — better3
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 26 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperParentSquareHighland Local Schools

Customer experience

ParentSquare

All ratings100,355 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews882 reviews
Positive51.1%
Neutral10.3%
Negative38.5%

Highland Local Schools

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

ParentSquare

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notification issues and delays
  • Inconsistent app behavior across devices
  • Login problems and lost user sessions
  • Attachment and media viewing difficulties
  • Syncing and data display errors

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to filter and customize notifications
  • Improved search and organization of content
  • Integration with other school/student platforms
  • Enhanced mobile app functionality
  • Parent-teacher group messaging capabilities

Highland Local Schools

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ParentSquare

No in-app purchases

None

Highland Local Schools

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ParentSquare free?
ParentSquare is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Highland Local Schools free?
Highland Local Schools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ParentSquare or Highland Local Schools?
ParentSquare is rated higher. ParentSquare averages 4.6 out of 5 from 100K ratings, while Highland Local Schools averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do ParentSquare or Highland Local Schools have ads?
Neither ParentSquare nor Highland Local Schools shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ParentSquare or Highland Local Schools?
ParentSquare ships an update weekly, and Highland Local Schools every 26 months. Most recently, ParentSquare was updated on November 5, 2026 and Highland Local Schools on November 3, 2026.

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