Creating a website for your school doesn’t have to be difficult. Whether you’re a tech-savvy teacher or just starting out, there’s a website builder that’s perfect for you.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best website builders for schools.
Our picks aren’t in a specific order from best to least but are chosen based on features, purpose, ease of use, and budget.
By the end, you’ll know exactly which one suits your needs to create an amazing online presence for your school. Let’s get started!
Comparative Table
| Website Builder | Learning Curve | Free Version | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | Moderate to high | Open-Source | Professional websites requiring LMS and extensive customization |
| Webflow | Moderate | Yes | Design-focused users with medium technical skills |
| Mobirise AI | Low | Yes | AI site-building for small educational sites |
| Wix | Low | Yes | Simple websites for beginners |
| Squarespace | Low | No | Simple websites for users with no technical skills |
1. WordPress
✅ Most recommended among users
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) and is widely used for school and educational websites.
When I researched website builders for educational websites, I noticed most users recommend WordPress.
Although it is a CMS, not a website builder, WordPress is the most recommended among users for professional school and educational websites. Users often appreciate the flexibility and range of features that WordPress.org offers.
When creating a school website, the first thing that often attracts us is the availability of educational-related templates, and WordPress has a lot of them to choose from.
Note: It’s important to note that there are two versions: WordPress.com and WordPress.org, and we recommend using WordPress.org for its greater control and customization capabilities.
👍 Pros of WordPress
- Variety of Plugins and Themes: WordPress offers a diverse selection of plugins and themes that are specifically designed for educational purposes. These include tools for course management, school websites, learning management systems (LMS), grade tracking, event scheduling, and more. Go to the sites’ plugins and themes section and type education, and school and you’ll see lots of options.
- Learning Management System (LMS) Integration: Plugins like LearnDash and LifterLMS allow you to create, manage, and sell online courses.
- Customization Options: WordPress.org provides extensive customization options beyond just selecting plugins and themes. It allows you to modify the design and functionality of your website to an exact specification. You can customize the layout, color schemes, fonts, and other visual elements, as well as add custom code for advanced features.
- Open Source: The platform itself is free to use, which can be a significant cost-saving benefit for educational institutions. You only need to budget for hosting, a domain name, and any premium add-ons you choose.
- SEO Capabilities: WordPress is built with SEO best practices in mind, which can help improve your site’s visibility in search engine results. This makes it easier for potential students and parents to find your school online.
👎 Cons of WordPress
- Learning Curve: It can be challenging for beginners to get up to speed with all of WordPress’s features and capabilities. Some users mention the difficulty of the initial setup and ongoing maintenance, especially without technical expertise.
- Maintenance Responsibility: Users are responsible for their own site maintenance, including updates, backups, and security. This ongoing responsibility can be time-consuming and may require technical skills.
- Initial Costs: While the software is free, there are costs associated with hosting, domain registration, and premium themes or plugins. These costs can add up, especially if you need high-quality or specialized features.
- Security Concerns: If not properly maintained, WordPress sites can be vulnerable to security threats. Regular updates and security measures are essential to protect the site.
💰 Budget Considerations
- Hosting: Budget options start around $3-5 per month, but better performance and security can cost $10-20 per month.
- Domain Name: Typically costs $10-15 per year.
- Premium Themes/Plugins: Prices vary widely, from $30 to $100+ each.
✨ Example Website
Check out Brighterly for a great example of a math tutor site for kids and teens made with WordPress. The site looks clean and inviting, making it easy for parents and students to find what they need.
On the homepage, you can find a math tutor for kids and teens, select your child’s grade to book a demo lesson and answer step-by-step questions to tailor the tutoring experience to your child’s needs.
2. Webflow
Webflow is a responsive website builder, CMS, and hosting platform that’s great for creating school and educational websites. It’s known for its design flexibility and user-friendly visual editor, making it easy for users to create professional and responsive designs.
While researching, we especially liked Webflow’s live site templates and cloning features. These tools are incredibly helpful because they allow you to preview and customize pre-made templates in real-time.
It’s great to see how the templates will look as a live site, which makes the design process much smoother and more intuitive.
👍 Pros of Webflow
- Design Flexibility: Webflow’s visual editor allows you to create unique and professional designs without needing to code.
- Variety of Templates: There are many educational templates available, making it easy to get started with building your site.
- CMS Features: The built-in CMS lets you manage and update educational content, news, and events effortlessly.
- Cloning Features: The ability to clone websites is a great feature, allowing you to use pre-made designs as a starting point and customize them to fit your needs.
👎 Cons of Webflow
- Learning Curve: There’s a bit of a learning curve, especially if you are new to web design. However, Webflow University can help you get up to speed.
- No Built-in E-commerce Features: Limited e-commerce features for selling courses or educational materials directly from the website. Additional integrations might be needed.
- Limited LMS Support: Webflow lacks built-in tools for advanced educational needs like learning management systems (LMS). While it allows you to create attractive pages, you’ll need external systems and custom code for full LMS functionality.
💰 Budget Considerations
- Hosting: Webflow’s basic hosting plan with a custom domain starts at $18 per month, billed monthly. For more advanced features and higher traffic, prices can go up to $36 per month or more. Webflow also offers a free plan for up to 2 pages on the webflow.io subdomain.
- Domain Name: Typically costs $10-15 per year, separate from Webflow’s hosting fees.
- Premium Templates: Prices for premium templates range from $49 to $149.
✨ Example Website
There are lots of live site examples on Webflow. Here’s one of them: Guru Template. You just go to education templates and then click on the “preview in browser” to see the template like a live website.
This example shows how Webflow can be used to create a clean, professional, and engaging educational website.
3. Mobirise AI Website Builder
✅ Quick test by Siteefy
Are you searching for an AI website builder that can recommend educational templates based on your prompts? If you want to save time and get a beautiful site quickly, this AI education website builder is perfect for you!
While browsing in Google, I came across this interesting pick for you: Just give your prompt, and Mobirise’s AI will suggest the best templates and layouts based on your needs, speeding up the design process.
Note: You can try Mobirise for your education sites using its drag-and-drop feature or the Mobirise AI Builder for creating based on your prompt. Then, you can make changes in the settings.
⚡ Check also ➡️ Best AI Website Builders
👍 Pros of Mobirise
- User-Friendly: Users love Mobirise for its easy drag-and-drop interface, making it perfect for beginners with no coding skills.
- Offline Builder: Mobirise allows you to build your website offline, meaning you can work on your site without an internet connection and then upload it when you’re ready.
- Free to Use: The software is free and includes various themes and templates, making it a cost-effective choice for schools with tight budgets.
- Educational Templates: Offers a variety of education-specific templates that make it easy to create a professional-looking website customized to your school’s needs.
- AI Features: Just give your prompt, and Mobirise’s AI will suggest the best templates and layouts based on your needs, speeding up the design process.
- Customizable Blocks: Use pre-designed blocks to easily build and customize your pages without needing to write any code.
👎 Cons of Mobirise
- Limited Customization: Mobirise lacks the extensive customization options available on other platforms like WordPress or Webflow, which may be limiting for advanced users.
- Limited Built-in Features: Does not have built-in features specifically for educational needs such as learning management systems (LMS) or grade tracking. You might need to rely on external tools and integrations.
- Free Version Limitations: The free version comes with many restrictions.
- Single Computer Use: Users complain that you can only use it on the computer where you downloaded it. Transferring files to a new computer can be a hassle.
- AI Accuracy: The AI might not always give you an exact match to your prompt, but we still found it useful and liked the results even if they weren’t perfectly accurate.
💰 Budget Considerations
- Hosting: Budget options start around $3-5 per month, but better performance and security can cost $10-20 per month. One user recommends NFO Servers, which offers a basic package for $2.99/month.
- Domain Name: Typically costs $10-15 per year.
- Plans: Paid plans start at $189/year and include 30 AI Generations/month and 3 Online Sites.
🤓 Our quick test with Mobirise AI Website Builder
I signed up to try the Mobirise AI Builder for education and used this prompt:
“Create a professional, welcoming website for [School Name] using navy blue (#002D72), white (#FFFFFF), and gold (#FFD700) as the primary colors. The homepage should include a hero image, a welcome message, and key navigation links (Home, About Us, Admissions, Academics, News & Events, Contact Us).“
It suggested both free and premium templates. I went with a free one and created a vibrant, visually appealing website.
In the upper right settings bar, you can customize colors, images, videos, and even YouTube videos. This tool is great for beginners looking to create a small to medium-sized website.
4. Wix
Wix is a popular choice for its intuitive drag-and-drop builder and a wide range of templates.
It is particularly suitable for schools looking to create a website quickly and efficiently without sacrificing aesthetics or functionality.
👍 Pros of Wix
- Ease of Use: The drag-and-drop interface is very intuitive, making it easy for anyone to build a website without coding skills.
- Wix ADI: The AI can quickly create a personalized website layout, which is a helpful starting point.
- Education-Specific Templates: Ready-made templates designed for schools, colleges, and universities.
👎 Cons of Wix
- Limited Template Flexibility: Once you choose a template, you can’t switch to another without rebuilding your site, which can be frustrating.
- Cost: While the basic plan is free, advanced features and removing Wix ads require a premium plan. The costs can add up, especially for more comprehensive needs.
- Ads on Free Plan: The free version includes Wix branding and ads, which can look unprofessional for a school website.
- Fewer Templates: Compared to platforms like WordPress and Webflow, Wix has fewer templates available.
💰 Budget Considerations
- Plan Cost: The plans start with the Lightl Plan at $17 per month This plan includes a custom domain, and offers a free domain name for the first year.
- Premium Templates and Apps: While many templates and basic apps are free, some premium templates and advanced apps may require additional purchases. Prices for premium apps vary widely, typically ranging from $3 to $30+ per month.
✨ Example Website
Here’s an example of a school website created using Wix: The Bridges Academy.
The Bridges Academy website features a clean and inviting design with a large hero image on the homepage, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
The navigation is straightforward, with easy access to sections like Home, About Us, Admissions, Academics, Student Life, and Contact. Overall, the site is professional, user-friendly, and effectively communicates the school’s offerings.
5. Squarespace
Squarespace is another popular website builder that is highly recommended for its ease of use. It’s an excellent choice for beginners and those who want a professional-looking website without needing to dive into coding.
However, if you’re looking for the level of flexibility that WordPress offers, Squarespace might not be the best choice.
👍 Pros of Squarespace
- Easy to Use: Squarespace has a drag-and-drop interface that makes it straightforward to build a website.
- Beautiful Templates: Known for its visually appealing and professionally designed templates, which are appropriate for schools and educational sites.
- Built-in Features: Offers a variety of features like blogging tools, e-commerce capabilities, and social media integration.
- Mobile-Responsive: All templates are mobile-friendly, so your site will look good on any device. Some templates have an option to disable this feature if you prefer, though keeping the mobile styles enabled is recommended.
👎 Cons of Squarespace
- Limited Flexibility: Not as customizable as WordPress, which might be a drawback if you need advanced features or custom solutions.
- Cost: Can be more expensive compared to other website builders, especially for advanced features.
- No Free Plan: Unlike some other website builders, Squarespace does not offer a free plan.
- Insufficient Templates for Schools: Some users report that there are not enough templates to meet many of their needs for educational websites.
💰 Budget Considerations
- Plan Cost: The plans start with the Personal Plan at $25 per month.
- Hosting: Squarespace includes hosting in all its plans, so you don’t need to set up separate hosting.
- Domain Name: No free domain name for monthly plans. A free custom domain is included for the first year with annual plans.
✨ Example Website
Check out Blue School for an example of an educational site created with Squarespace. The site is clean and modern, making it easy for visitors to find important information.
The homepage features clear navigation, vibrant images, and key details about the school’s programs and philosophy. This example shows how Squarespace can be used to create a professional and engaging website for educational institutions.
Choosing the Right Website Builder
While analyzing all these builders for school and educational websites, it becomes clear that each has its strengths. WordPress CMS is the best choice for professionally designed sites, but it requires some technical knowledge to fully utilize its capabilities.
For those with medium technical skills who are looking for well-designed templates, Webflow offers many interesting designs and is a great option.
If you’re looking for straightforward ways to build a simple website, Wix, Squarespace, and Mobirise are suitable options. They offer user-friendly interfaces and different educational templates to help you get started without needing advanced technical skills.
