Learning management systems (LMSes) are all-in-one suites for teachers and schools. The best learning management system options provide a wide range of tools for planning, administration, communication, grading, and more.
There are a lot of LMS choices out there, so we asked nearly 70 principals, school administrators, and teachers to talk about their own experiences. They shared their thoughts, good and bad, about the systems they use now and others they’ve tried in the past. Here’s what they had to say.
How To Choose the Best Learning Management System
In most districts and schools, teachers and even principals don’t get to choose their learning management system. That decision is often made at a higher level, by school boards, superintendents, or IT directors. However, it’s important to gather thoughts and feedback from all stakeholders before deciding, including teachers, support staff, principals, and parents. Anyone who will use the system should have a chance to share their needs and wants up front.
“Organizations should look for an LMS that is easy to use and accessible for everyone, regardless of the type of physical technology they have or their comfort level with technology,” recommends Bethany Petty, a high school social studies teacher and department chairperson. “When looking for an LMS, organizations should keep the goal of using an LMS at the forefront of their decision-making process, choosing a tool that will bring important information to all stakeholders.”
Whoever makes the final choice, here are some of the top features to consider in any LMS.
Cost
Learning management systems come in a wide variety of price ranges, and it can be tempting to choose the one that’s the least expensive. But a higher price tag might be worth it if the features it offers provide big benefits. While cost will always be a driving factor in any district’s LMS choice, it’s vital to consider what you’ll truly be getting for your investment. Talk with different companies to learn their rates (usually determined by the number of users); many will work with you to find a solution that fits your needs and your budget.
Ease of Use
It’s especially important that all users find the LMS easy to access and use regularly. One Texas teacher says it absolutely has to be teacher-friendly: “Can we master it quickly?” An Ohio teacher backs that up, adding “Many veteran teachers have tech anxiety.”
Others point out that students, parents, and administrators should all be able to use it without much difficulty or advanced training. A Michigan teacher looks for “a very organized homepage that clearly lists landing pages that are regularly accessed and an easy way to get in contact with staff and student assignments.”
Valuable Tools
Many of our respondents say that it’s not how many tools an LMS offers but the overall value of those tools. “Simplicity. It should do about five things and do them well,” states a Michigan science teacher.
Determine in advance exactly what your school needs in an LMS, and don’t be swayed by bells and whistles that won’t really get much use. “Look for solutions that support your school’s unique needs, [those that] easily link home and school,” advises an assistant principal in New York.
More Key LMS Features
- Compatibility and synchronization: Multiple educators say it’s vital to be sure your LMS can communicate seamlessly with other learning and system tools. One teacher reports: “I currently have to grade in Google Classroom and then also manually enter the grades in the state-required system.”
- Comprehensive: “Ideally, you want a one-stop shop,” says Lauren K., an Ohio principal. Carole Abrams, an elementary principal, agrees: “Everything connected to a student should be accessible in one location.”
- Good support and training: Will the company provide training up front or accompanying tools to make the LMS easier to use? How will you get help if something goes wrong?
- AI integration: AI tools are here to stay, and many LMS programs are taking advantage of them to make educators’ lives easier. Find out what AI features an LMS offers and ask how (or if) they’ll truly benefit your users.
Best Learning Management System Recommended by Educators: Google Classroom
Google Classroom and Google for Education’s wide suite of tools covers pretty much anything educators and families need. Teachers and students use Google Classroom extensively for setting and completing assignments, as well as communication and collaboration. Google for Education’s tools include Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Calendar, and Forms, plus education-specific tools like Jamboard, Google Assignments, and Originality Reports. Most tools are free, though some require paid upgrades.
Google Classroom Review
Google Classroom was far and away the most popular LMS among our survey respondents, with more than 40% of educators currently using it. Some use it on its own, while others use it in conjunction with other tools.
What educators like:
Educators have an overall positive impression of Google Classroom: 99% of our respondents would recommend it to others. “Google Classroom is easy to use for teachers and students and integrates seamlessly with other tools teachers already use,” according to Bethany Petty. “Classroom is also device-agnostic, which makes it a great choice for districts regardless of the physical technology they use.”
What educators don’t like:
Some teachers wish that Google Classroom had better options for easily communicating with families, especially about issues like missing assignments. Others are unable to export their grades from Google Classroom to the system used by their state or district. And several expressed concerns about security and privacy.
More of the Best Learning Management Systems
These LMS programs also ranked highly in our survey, with widespread adoption and generally positive feedback from educators.
Schoology (PowerSchool)
Schoology is a centralized hub for personalized teaching and learning that connects teachers, students, and families in a single platform. It’s part of the larger PowerSchool suite, which also includes enrollment and data management tools, analytics, and more. PowerSchool offers PowerBuddy, an AI-powered assistant for teachers, students, and administrators. Schools can purchase the programs that fit their needs.
Schoology Review
What educators like:
This was the second-most popular LMS among those we surveyed, with users noting that it’s easy to use right off the bat. They like that it provides all the information they need in one spot: attendance, behavior reporting, grading, and even a parent portal.
What educators don’t like:
Several reported challenges using the calendar and scheduling functions. Others had issues issuing accurate grades and syncing those grades with their required reporting systems. That said, nearly all of them would recommend this LMS to other educators.
Canvas
Coming in third on our survey, Canvas provides LMS solutions for K-12 users. It offers course materials, grades, data and insights, and communication tools all in one place. Canvas also promises to sync with other tools like G Suite, Microsoft Teams, and Adobe, and their 2024 updates include major investments in AI tools for educators. It’s the only ESSA-Validated K-12 LMS (Level IV).
Canvas Review
What educators like:
Users report that Canvas does indeed sync well with other tools, and they like the overall flexibility. Most find it very easy to use for teachers, families, and administrators.
What educators don’t like:
Several respondents noted that younger students especially may struggle to navigate the system. They would also like to see more features added over time.
FACTS
What it is: FACTS advertises its LMS as an affordable option that’s fast to implement and easy to learn. The LMS integrates with the FACTS Student Information System (SIS) using a single login, so teachers and administrators have everything right at their fingertips. It also offers a synced grading tool and parent communication capabilities.
FACTS Review
What educators like:
Users like that it’s comprehensive, functional, and easy to use. “It blends our SIS with other features where students and teachers can work together on what needs to be completed, facilitating communication, posting of progress reports, grades, etc.,” shares Nick Wilson, a Pennsylvania superintendent. In fact, Nick prefers FACTS to Google Classroom, feeling it offers more “breadth.”
What educators don’t like:
Some report that FACTS is less flexible than they’d like, and the information that’s tracked about students and families is more useful to administrators than teachers. About half of those that used it in our survey would definitely recommend it.
Other Learning Management Systems To Consider
The LMS programs on this list were less popular in general but might be the right fit for your particular situation.
Synergy LMS
Synergy LMS Review
Only a few educators in our survey use this system, but they had an overall positive experience to report. The system provides tools for course and content delivery, teacher planning and grading, and student and family communication. Administrators get useful assessment and analytic tools, and Synergy helps coordinate remote and blended learning too.
What educators say about Synergy LMS:
- “Integrates many different aspects: discipline, attendance, grades, contact info, etc., but not the easiest to learn.” —Ms. Powers, Tennessee principal
- “I liked that it could be one place where everything was located for a student.” —Nebraska middle and high school principal
Edsby
Edsby is partnered with Microsoft and has been rolling out to schools around the world over the last decade. The comprehensive program has won multiple ed-tech awards, and was named the Best LMS for 2023 by The Tech Edvocate. In 2024, Edsby released their Teacher AI Assistant tool to offer educators help with tasks like grading, lesson planning, and more.
Edsby Review
Although only one of our survey participants uses this system, they were very positive about their experience.
What educators say about Edsby:
- “The platform is incredibly organized and user-friendly for staff, students, and parents!”
- “No complaints. I’d recommend it to anyone.”
Gradelink
This program is geared more toward student information management, making it easier to share grades and collect and analyze data. It includes lesson planning, student assignment tools, and teacher pages that can be used for family communication. The Gradelink app keeps parents informed about their child’s progress automatically too.
Gradelink Review
What educators say about Gradelink:
- “Our favorite feature is the ability to send schoolwide emails and text messages in case of emergency. It does not have the ability for teachers to see past report cards and is missing some other basic features.” —Sara R., Assistant Principal
- “Easy to customize, great customer service, works for a variety of our needs. Cannot see previous attendance.” —High School Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator
Moodle
This free open-source content and learning management system seems to have lost popularity since Google for Education came onto the scene, and none of our respondents currently use it. Many found it difficult to set up and navigate, though one way to overcome this difficulty is to work with a Moodle partner. They can customize the system for you (at a cost) and help you implement and maintain it. This may be less expensive overall than some of its competitors.
Moodle Review
What educators say about Moodle:
- “It was very user-friendly but not as sophisticated of a platform.” —Nicole H., Director of CVI Education
- “Moodle was clunky and the students hated it.” —Michigan high school teacher
- “Lots of add-ons and customizations.” —Connecticut high school assistant principal
Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Learn has had some bad press, with major school districts discontinuing it after students and teachers found it too difficult to use and security issues surfaced. That said, the company merged with Anthology in late 2021, and they’ve been working to leverage the two companies’ strengths over the last few years. Schools looking to try a new LMS can take advantage of their free trial to see if the updated product (with more than 100 new features) better meets their needs.
Blackboard Learn Review
What educators say about Blackboard Learn:
- “It was not student-friendly.” —Nicki B., Alabama school administrator
- “All-inclusive, but clunky.” —Dr. Donna Eskut, Georgia high school principal
Infinite Campus
Though multiple educators in our survey currently use this student information system, they had a pretty negative impression of it overall. They wish it offered more options to make it a true learning management system. They felt it was a good place to store student data, and liked that it works with state systems for recording standardized test scores. But they didn’t care for the interface and felt the system is lacking necessary features for tracking data like benchmarks and behavior.
Infinite Campus Review
What educators say about Infinite Campus:
- “Not user-friendly at all. It takes way too many ‘clicks’ to get reports, enroll students, and get any and all information needed.” —California elementary school principal
- My building is pre-K–2, so we don’t use it for daily grades like the older grades do. It will coordinate with the state for testing scores, but is very limited. I would like a system that can incorporate all information for a child: academics, behavior, intervention, standardized testing, etc.” —Illinois pre-K–2 school principal
