Comparison

Kite Student Portal vs Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

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

Head to head
About

Kite Student Portal

This app prepares iPads for standardized testing by configuring assessment settings and ensuring Guided Access is enabled. It streamlines the setup process for educational institutions administering tests.

Highlights
  • Configure LCS settings
  • Enable Guided Access
  • Streamline iPad testing setup
  • Administer assessments
Read full description

Does your organization use Kite to administer assessments? Download the Kite Student Portal for use with an iPad. Installing the Kite Student Portal simplifies the process of setting up an iPad for testing. The app allows you to configure LCS settings and will check to see that Guided Access is enabled before testing can begin.

About

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

This app helps children learn to read through a research-based methodology that breaks down reading skills into thousands of micro-actions. It offers personalized learning paths and detailed progress reports for educators and parents.

Highlights
  • Personalized reading paths
  • Micro-action learning methodology
  • Phonemic awareness focus
  • Progress reporting for educators
  • Adaptive learning technology
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

New from Scholastic! A new adventure in learning to read! Small Actions. Big Results. Ooka Island transforms teaching foundational reading skills by breaking the process down into thousands of micro-actions — 6,695 to be exact. With an instructionally robust methodology and highly adaptive technology, Ooka Island actively personalizes each student’s path toward fluent reading. - Steeped in Research and Efficacy Built on Dr. Kay MacPhee’s proven, research-based concepts, Ooka Island purposefully leads with securing children's phonemic awareness while teaching phonological skills to ensure reading words becomes as effortless as speaking-so students can focus on comprehension. Dive into the research to learn more about Ooka Island's effective foundational reading program. - Reporting for Educators at All Levels It's important to know how a student, class, school or district is progressing at both a high-level and the most granular. It's equally important to make that data actionable for educators. Ooka Island’s meaningful reports are filled with the richest and most impactful metrics, giving educators the tools they need to help meet their critical reading goals. - Adaptive. Really. Being highly adaptive means seamlessly supporting all students throughout their early reading journey. With three levels of adaptability—immediate scaffolding, adaptations to pacing, and more complex interventions—Ooka Island's continuous formative assessment understands the precise moment, and the right type of intervention, to help a student succeed. - Learning After the Bell Connecting reading to the home and family has a significant lifelong impact. Purposefully designed to be equitable for outside of school access, Ooka Island can be used anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Using their personalized account, students pick up wherever they left off, continuing to make measurable progress on their own learn to read adventure.

Screenshots

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Kite Student Portal at 5.0 against Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.'s 3.5. Kite Student Portal also leads on review sentiment (24% vs 10%). Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.'s advantage is ratings volume (60 vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). 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

Kite Student Portal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. has 60 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Kite Student Portal's written reviews are positive against 10% of Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kite Student Portal ships an update every 7 months, Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Kite Student Portal versus Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKite Student PortalScholastic F.I.R.S.T.
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.5 (60 ratings)
Positive reviews23.5% of reviews — better10.0% of reviews
Number of ratings160 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.512.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB433 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAchievement and Assessment InstituteScholastic Inc.

Customer experience

Kite Student Portal

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive23.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative76.5%

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

All ratings60 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive10.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

None

Kite Student Portal

No in-app purchases

None

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kite Student Portal free?
Kite Student Portal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. free?
Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kite Student Portal or Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.?
Kite Student Portal is rated higher. Kite Student Portal averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. averages 3.5 from 60 ratings.
Do Kite Student Portal or Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. have ads?
Neither Kite Student Portal nor Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kite Student Portal or Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.?
Kite Student Portal ships an update every 7 months, and Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. every 2 months. Most recently, Kite Student Portal was updated on November 1, 2026 and Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. on November 2, 2026.

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