> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.edustream.ng/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started with Edustream: School Setup Guide

> Step-by-step guide to activating your Edustream account, configuring your school profile, and completing your first term setup in under 30 minutes.

Congratulations on choosing Edustream. This guide walks you — the school administrator — through every setup task you need to complete before the platform is ready for daily use. Follow the steps in order: each one builds on the last, and most schools finish the core configuration in a single sitting of 20–30 minutes. By the end you will have a live school profile, a populated staff roster, an enrolled student cohort, a fee structure, and your first report card queued for distribution.

***

## Step 1 — Start Your Free Trial or Activate Your Account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create Your Account">
    Go to [app.edustream.ng/signup](https://app.edustream.ng/signup) and enter your name, school email address, and a strong password. Edustream does not require a credit card to start your **14-day free trial** on the Core or Operations plans — just click **Start Free Trial** and you will land directly in your admin dashboard.

    If your school was set up by a Edustream sales representative (for example, as part of an Enterprise onboarding), you will instead receive an activation email. Open that email and click **Activate My Account**, then set your password to gain access.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Your Starting Plan">
    On first login, a plan-selection prompt appears. Select the tier that best fits your school today — you can upgrade at any time without losing data. If you are unsure, **Core** is the safest starting point for schools new to the platform.

    <Tip>
      Not sure which plan to pick? Read the [Plans & Pricing guide](/getting-started/plans-and-pricing) for a side-by-side feature comparison and a recommendation based on school size.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm Your Email">
    Check your inbox for a verification email from **[noreply@edustream.ng](mailto:noreply@edustream.ng)** and click the confirmation link. Email confirmation unlocks outbound communication features, including parent broadcasts and report card delivery.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Step 2 — Set Up Your School Profile

Your school profile is the identity layer that appears on report cards, invoices, parent-facing notifications, and (on the Enterprise plan) your public admissions portal. Completing it accurately at the start saves you from correcting printed documents later.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open School Settings">
    From the main navigation, click **Settings → School Profile**. You will see a form divided into three sections: Identity, Contact, and Branding.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Your School Identity">
    Fill in your **School Name** exactly as it appears on your proprietorial registration documents — this text prints on every report card and official invoice. Add your **School Motto**, **Year Founded**, and **School Type** (Nursery & Primary, Secondary, or Combined).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload Your School Logo">
    Click **Upload Logo** and select a PNG or SVG file at least 400 × 400 pixels. Edustream automatically resizes the logo for report card headers, login screens, and (on Enterprise) your branded PWA icon. A square or near-square logo works best.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Contact Details">
    Enter your school's **address**, **phone number**, **official email**, and **website URL**. These appear on parent-facing documents and in the school directory visible to staff.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and Preview">
    Click **Save Profile**. Then click **Preview Report Card Header** to confirm that the name, logo, and address render exactly as you want them on printed documents before any student data is added.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Enterprise plan subscribers can configure a **custom domain** and **branded PWA identity** under **Settings → White-Label**. Your dedicated account manager will walk you through the DNS configuration during your onboarding call.
</Note>

***

## Step 3 — Configure Your Academic Year and Terms

Edustream organises all academic activity — timetables, report cards, attendance, and fees — within a defined academic year and its terms. Setting this up correctly is the most important configuration step, as it affects every other module.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Academic Calendar">
    Navigate to **Academics → Academic Calendar → New Academic Year**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define the Academic Year">
    Enter the year label (e.g., **2024/2025**), the overall start date, and the overall end date. Edustream supports both the Nigerian three-term calendar (First Term, Second Term, Third Term) and custom term structures for schools with different calendars.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Your Terms">
    Click **Add Term** for each term in the year. For each term, provide:

    * **Term name** (e.g., First Term)
    * **Start date** and **end date**
    * **Number of school days** (used for attendance percentage calculations on report cards)
    * **Result release date** (the date from which parents can view report cards)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the Active Term">
    Once all terms are saved, click **Set as Active** next to the current term. The active term determines which grading period is open for teachers entering CA and exam scores, and which billing cycle is used when generating invoices.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Your Class Structure">
    Navigate to **Academics → Classrooms** and add each class level your school runs (e.g., JSS 1A, JSS 1B, SSS 2 Science). Assign a class teacher to each classroom — you can update these assignments after staff are invited in the next step.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  You can create multiple academic years in advance. Only one year can be **active** at a time, but you can view historical terms, past report cards, and prior fee records from any previous year without activating it.
</Info>

***

## Step 4 — Invite Staff Members and Assign Roles

Edustream uses a role-based access model. Each staff member sees only the modules relevant to their position — a class teacher cannot access payroll, and a finance officer cannot edit academic scores unless you explicitly grant them that access.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Staff Management">
    Go to **People → Employees → Invite Staff**. You can invite staff one at a time or upload a bulk CSV for larger schools.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Staff Details">
    For each staff member, provide their **full name**, **official email address**, **phone number**, **job title**, and **department**. The email address you enter is where their invitation link will be sent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a Role">
    Select a role from the dropdown. Edustream ships with five default roles:

    | Role                | Key Access                                                           |
    | ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Super Admin**     | Full access to all modules and settings                              |
    | **Academic Admin**  | Academics, report cards, timetables, classrooms                      |
    | **Finance Officer** | Fees, invoices, payments, financial reports                          |
    | **Class Teacher**   | Scores entry, attendance, and communication for assigned class       |
    | **Hostel Manager**  | Dorm logs, bed allocations, hostel notices (Operations & Enterprise) |

    You can create custom roles under **Settings → Roles & Permissions** if the defaults do not match your school's structure.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send the Invitation">
    Click **Send Invite**. Each staff member receives an email with a link to set their password and access their personalised Edustream dashboard. Pending invitations are visible in the **Employees** list with a **Pending** badge.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign Class Teachers to Classrooms">
    Return to **Academics → Classrooms** and assign the appropriate class teacher to each classroom you created in Step 3. Class teachers will then see their assigned class on their dashboard and can begin entering student scores as soon as students are added.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Invite your Finance Officer and at least one Academic Admin before adding students — they can review student data and fee assignments as records are created, catching errors early.
</Tip>

***

## Step 5 — Add Students and Their Guardian Contacts

Students are the core of your Edustream subscription. You can add them individually or via bulk import — most schools onboarding an existing student cohort use the CSV import to save time.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Student Registrar">
    Navigate to **People → Students → Add Student**. For bulk import, click **Import CSV** and download the Edustream student import template to ensure your spreadsheet columns match the expected format.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Student Details">
    For each student, fill in:

    * **Full legal name** and **preferred name**
    * **Date of birth** and **gender**
    * **Admission number** (or let Edustream auto-generate one based on your configured format)
    * **Enrolment status** — set to **Enrolled** for current students
    * **Assigned classroom** (links to the classes you created in Step 3)
    * **Blood group** and **known medical conditions** (optional, but visible to designated staff in emergencies)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Guardian and Parent Contacts">
    On each student's profile, scroll to the **Guardians** section and click **Add Guardian**. Enter the guardian's full name, relationship to the student, phone number, and email address. The email address is used for report card delivery, fee invoices, and (on Operations/Enterprise) real-time attendance notifications.

    <Note>
      A single guardian can be linked to multiple siblings on the platform — search for an existing guardian by phone number before creating a new contact to avoid duplicates.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Enrolment Count">
    After adding all students, navigate to **Settings → Billing & Subscription** and confirm that the **Active Student Count** matches your expected enrolment. This number drives your termly invoice, so resolve any discrepancies before the billing cycle closes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Only students with an **Enrolled** status count toward your active student billing. Students marked as **Withdrawn**, **Graduated**, or **Suspended** are excluded from the billing count for that term but remain in your records for historical reporting.
</Warning>

***

## Step 6 — Configure Your First Fee Templates

Fee templates define the standard charges you levy each term — tuition, development levy, PTA dues, examination fees, and any other line items your school collects. Creating templates now means you can generate accurate invoices for every student with a single action at the start of each billing cycle.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Fee Configuration">
    Go to **Finance → Fee Templates → Create Template**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name the Template and Set Scope">
    Give the template a clear name (e.g., **JSS Tuition – First Term 2024/2025**). Set the **applicable class levels** — you can create one template that applies to all classes or separate templates for primary and secondary sections if your fees differ.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Fee Line Items">
    Click **Add Fee Item** for each charge. Enter the item name, amount, and whether it is **mandatory** or **optional** (optional items appear on the invoice but do not trigger an outstanding balance warning until the student opts in).

    | Example Line Item | Type      |
    | ----------------- | --------- |
    | Tuition Fee       | Mandatory |
    | Development Levy  | Mandatory |
    | PTA Dues          | Mandatory |
    | Examination Fee   | Mandatory |
    | Sport Kit         | Optional  |
    | Excursion Fee     | Optional  |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the Due Date">
    Enter a payment due date for the template. Edustream will flag overdue invoices automatically and, if you are on Operations or Enterprise with Flutterwave/Paystack connected, can send automated payment reminder messages to parent contacts.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate Invoices">
    Click **Generate Invoices for This Template**. Edustream creates individual invoices for every enrolled student in the applicable class range. Navigate to **Finance → Invoice Log** to review the generated invoices before they are distributed to parents.

    <Tip>
      On Operations and Enterprise plans, you can apply **scholarship exemptions** or **billing discounts** to individual students before distributing invoices — navigate to the student's profile, open the **Finance** tab, and click **Apply Discount or Exemption**.
    </Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Step 7 — Generate Your First Report Card

With your academic year configured, classrooms assigned, and students enrolled, your class teachers can begin entering continuous assessment and examination scores for each subject. Once scores are complete, generating and distributing report cards is a one-click process.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter Scores">
    Class teachers navigate to **Academics → Score Entry**, select their class and subject, and enter CA and exam scores for each student. Edustream calculates the total, grade, and position automatically based on the grading scale you configure under **Academics → Grading Settings**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Score Completion">
    As admin, monitor score entry progress at **Academics → Score Entry → Completion Overview**. This dashboard shows, per class and subject, how many teachers have finalised their scores — useful for chasing outstanding entries before the report release date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate Report Cards">
    Once all scores are entered, navigate to **Academics → Report Cards → Generate**. Select the active term and the class(es) you want to generate for, then click **Generate Report Cards**. Edustream compiles beautiful, branded PDFs for every student in the selected classes.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Distribute to Parents">
    Click **Send to Parents** to email each report card PDF to the guardian email addresses you added in Step 5. Parents without email addresses can access their child's report card through the parent login portal at **app.edustream.ng/parent**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  For a full walkthrough of the grading configuration options — including weighted CA vs. exam ratios, subject groupings, and principal's comments — see the [Report Cards documentation](/features/report-cards).
</Info>

***

## Tips for a Successful Rollout

Making the transition to a new school management platform is as much a people challenge as a technical one. The following practices consistently lead to faster adoption and fewer support requests in your first term.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Run a Staff Orientation Session" icon="chalkboard-teacher">
    Before the term begins, schedule a 60-minute walkthrough for all teaching and administrative staff. Cover the dashboards they will use daily — score entry for teachers, invoice management for finance staff — and answer questions in a low-stakes environment rather than mid-term.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Import Data Before Go-Live" icon="database">
    Complete your student and guardian imports at least one week before the term starts. This gives you buffer time to clean up duplicate guardian records, fix admission numbers, and resolve any CSV formatting errors without rushing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pilot With One Class First" icon="users">
    If you are onboarding mid-year, activate one class on Edustream and run it in parallel with your existing process for two weeks. Once you are confident in the data and workflow, migrate the remaining classes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Communicate With Parents Early" icon="bell">
    Send a broadcast announcement to all guardians (via **Communication → Broadcasts**) explaining that the school is moving to Edustream and that they will receive report cards and invoices through the platform from this term. Early communication reduces confusion and increases on-time fee payments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use Comprehensive Onboarding Training" icon="graduation-cap">
    Every Edustream plan includes comprehensive onboarding training at no extra charge. Email **[support@edustream.ng](mailto:support@edustream.ng)** to schedule a live training session tailored to your plan and school type.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bookmark the Help Centre" icon="book-open">
    The Edustream documentation covers every module in depth. Encourage all staff to bookmark [docs.edustream.ng](https://docs.edustream.ng) and use the search bar when they have questions — most answers are there in under 30 seconds.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  **Enterprise** subscribers have access to **priority support** and a **dedicated account manager**. If you encounter a blocking issue during setup, use the priority support channel in your dashboard (the orange **Get Help** button) to reach a senior support engineer directly.
</Note>

***

## What's Next?

Now that your school is set up, explore the module-specific guides to get the most out of Edustream:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Plans & Pricing" icon="credit-card" href="/getting-started/plans-and-pricing">
    Review feature tiers and upgrade your plan as your school grows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Report Cards" icon="file-alt" href="/features/report-cards">
    Configure grading scales, comment banks, and branded report card templates.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fee Management" icon="money-bill" href="/features/fee-invoicing">
    Set up recurring billing, online payment gateways, and financial reporting.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attendance Terminal" icon="clock" href="/features/attendance">
    Configure the real-time check-in terminal and parent notification rules (Operations & Enterprise).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>