We’ve all had that thought: I wish there were an app for that.
And when it comes to education, there’s plenty of opportunity for app creation. Parents would love to track every step of their students’ journey, and communicate with other parents. Teachers need help managing their classrooms. Faculty and staff need to optimize school processes. And students could use help organizing their studies and practicing new ideas.
So, what’s stopping anyone from creating these educational mobile app ideas? For most people, it’s the (wrong) assumption that they need to know computer programming languages and coding to develop an app.
As it turns out, all that’s really needed to create an app is one or two app ideas and a state-of-the-art app maker, like the one provided by Shoutem. Beginners who have never attempted to build an app, and learners who have started researching the art of app-making will be able to take their application ideas and turn them into a useful — and maybe even profitable! — app with Shoutem’s easy app developer. No coding or software development knowledge necessary!
eLearning and Study Apps for Students
eLearning and study apps provide students with the ability to learn and practice concepts in the classroom or at home. Many of these types of apps can be personalized to increase interest and engagement making learning less of an effort and more of an immersible experience.
Educational Game App
Whether teaching children how to read and do simple math or helping older kids and adults understand complex concepts of algebra and physics, educational game apps keep lessons exciting and fun to do. Instead of students reading several paragraphs and answering questions, an educational game mobile application uses animated graphics, sounds, and stories to stimulate their imagination and attention. For example, a pre-K educational game app might have kids play a game in which they dig for treasure on a beach. Each time they find something, the app says the name of the object and spells the object in large, easy-to-read letters. E-learning apps for 10th graders learning about how light travels may include an animation of a photon that explains what happens when a light source spans one destination to another.
Language Learning App
The easiest languages to learn—Spanish, French, and Italian—are so similar to English that students of all ages can learn the basics of a new language with a language learning app. A learning application used by a language learning app you are thinking of creating for elementary-age school students should offer lessons no longer than 10 to 15 minutes, integrate funny sound effects (dogs barking, sirens, clowns laughing), and interactive conversations that help kids with pronouncing words. Language learning apps for older students and adults should be created for viewing on mobile devices. They may emphasize common phrases instead of individual words and employ interactive situations that put users in augmented reality scenarios like restaurants and airports.
Tutoring App
Some kids and adults have more trouble with online learning than actual classroom learning. Creating a tutoring app to enhance the online user experience is a great way to help both online learners and classroom learners. Such apps as those powered by AI can help reduce fees. Other tutoring apps may match users with tutors qualified to teach specific subjects. High school students and adults would probably prefer a tutoring app that matches their academic needs with approved college students who are majoring in a specific field of study. Tutoring apps for younger kids can also provide student performance information for parents that let them know if their child is benefiting from being tutored. You could use elements from Shoutem’s Social Networking App template to connect learners with tutors.
School Community & Awareness Apps for Parents
Mobile applications for parents should achieve several goals that streamline the ability of parents to receive real-time information about school happenings and communicate with other parents in the community. A parent app simply makes life easier for a household with several school-age children who are in different grade levels and ride different buses. Some of the best app ideas for parents are described below.
School Notifications App
Schools will be able to immediately alert parents to schedule changes or emergencies with a school notification app. Early dismissal due to inclement weather may alert parents with repeated chime sounds while other alerts would be attached to different sounds. This type of app may also include event calendars, holiday schedules, the first and last day of school for elementary, middle, and high school, and other notifications that parents would find helpful. Consider Shoutem’s School App template for this project.
Community Chat App
Community chat apps for smartphones and iPads allow parents to talk to other parents, teachers, guidance counselors, school administration personnel, and bus drivers when they can’t find or don’t know something they need to know. Instead of tracking down the phone numbers of all the people their child is in contact with throughout the school day, parents can rely on this versatile app to instantly get the information they want. Shoutem’s Social Network App template would be perfect for this!
School Bus Tracking App
No matter what age their child is, parents worry about whether their child is on the right bus, if the bus has picked up their child, or why the bus is late dropping off their child. A school bus tracking app is the perfect solution to quickly finding out where a bus is located and if the bus driver has indicated on the app that a student has boarded or been dropped off the bus. Bus driving using a school bus tracking app can also inform parents whether the bus will be late or if a mechanical failure has occurred while en route.
School Supply Swap App
Parents can learn exactly what kind of school supplies they need from individual teachers with a school supply swap app for Android and Apple phones. Although schools typically post supply lists on their websites, a teacher may require items not included on the school list. Also, parents can communicate with other parents about school supplies, such as what store is having a sale, if a parent has extra supplies they can share, or if someone has a school uniform they won’t be using anymore. You could modify Shoutem’s Products App template for this, allowing parents to swap supplies easily!
Social Networking Apps for Parents of New Students
A social networking app for parents who just moved into a different school district can be a lifesaver for both the parents and the student. There’s not much a parent can’t do with a school social networking app, from chatting with other parents, planning play dates for their pre-K and kindergarten children, asking teachers to share first-day-of-school photos, using the video chat function, and learning all they can about their child’s new school.
School Management Apps for Faculty, Staff & Students
Operating a school as optimally as possible is one of the most difficult jobs to undertake. Nobody knows this any better than the faculty, staff, and administrators who are tasked with managing the day-to-day issues involved with running a school. Probably the hardest aspect of school management is maintaining an open and real-time form of communication among teachers, staff, administration, and parents. School management apps can eliminate the obstacles interfering with the delivery of information vital to the smooth functioning of schools.
School Clinic and Healthcare App
School nurses will greatly benefit from this specialized type of app that they can use to collect information about student immunizations or expired forms that are no longer relevant, and log daily accident and illness incidents. Nurses can also use a school clinic and healthcare app to communicate with parents regarding their child’s health concerns. Note that this app or any app involving personal health data will likely require higher levels of security due to privacy regulations.
Classroom Management System App
Teachers need all the help they can get and a classroom management system app is exactly what would meet or exceed their needs. Teachers can include a wide variety of invaluable management tools to make their day less stressful and hectic. A few of the best app ideas for this type of app include keeping tabs on which classroom materials (iPads, textbooks) have been checked out to particular students, storing lesson plans for substitute teachers, and filling out calendars for exam times.
Lost and Found App
Parents and students can use a lost and found app to post items they have lost in school or on school grounds, while anyone finding an item can post a picture or description of the item. All kids from pre-k to seniors constantly lose things at school, on playgrounds, or on the bus, and what better way to find something lost or help others connect with a lost item than with a lost and found app for mobile devices. This is another perfect opportunity to try Shoutem’s Product App template.
Student Services App
Student service apps can make it much easier for students with individual education plans (IEPs), disabilities, or certain learning requirements to access and upload forms and documents essential to their education. In addition, students can use the app to communicate with teachers, program coordinators, and other individuals involved in their classroom schedules. Coordinators can send forms to students who can then e-signs the forms without delay.
Food Delivery App
Teachers need to eat, too! School administrators who want to treat their teachers to special monthly lunches can use a food delivery app to connect with local restaurants or catering companies that will deliver meals at specific times. Some area restaurants may have deals with schools that give discounts or promise to deliver teacher lunches within 20 minutes or less (surprise!). Teachers will also find a food delivery app useful for student birthdays or holiday celebrations. Bakeries may offer discounts on large orders of cupcakes, ice cream, or other goodies. Elements from Shoutem’s Loyalty App template would be perfect for this project!
School Survey App
School administrators could ensure they are providing the best services possible by sending simple yes and no questionnaires to faculty and parents. For example, administrative staff could ask parents questions like “Would you prefer students wear uniforms over regular clothing?” or “Are you satisfied with the system in place for picking up/dropping off kids”?. At the end of the survey, there could be a space for parents to add comments and suggestions. Administrators can also use a school survey app to poll teachers about working conditions, salaries, and paid time off to increase teacher retention.
Graduation and Career Guidance App
A graduation and career guidance app is ideal for use by high school students entering their 11th and 12th years. Preparing for graduation, college, and post-graduation life can be simplified with an app that works like a remote extension of a guidance counselor’s office. The app could include a quiz for graduating students that selects several majors, based on their interests, that they might explore before applying for college. A personality quiz could suggest various occupations that are compatible with the results of the quiz.
Syllabus and Course Information App
Navigating the high school and college education system just got easier for students using a syllabus and course information app providing information about courses and syllabuses before they start school. Seeing every course uploaded on an app may also pique their interest in a career they had never thought about pursuing. Syllabus descriptions offer information to college students that can reveal whether the course is something they can manage successfully while working or taking other courses. You can easily use Shoutem’s News App template to list all syllabi and courses for students.
Homework and Exam Prep Apps for Students
Homework and exam prep apps provide tools essential for completing homework and prepping for exams in math, physics, chemistry, and many other subjects. Flashcards, quizzes, access to online encyclopedias, and tutoring support are just a few features comprising popular homework and exam prep apps. “Ask a Tutor” could be incorporated into this type of app that offers answers to student questions from a qualified tutor within 15 minutes.
Homework To-Do List App
One of the top reasons students don’t get their homework done on time is disorganization. An app that organizes and dates all homework assignments would help busy students know exactly how much time they have to complete a homework assignment. Teachers could use a homework to-do list app to send homework due dates to students each day and perhaps a few suggestions to motivate students. Teachers may also post grades of each assignment on the app so that parents remain aware of their child’s academic progress.
Countdown Timer App
Students can set the timer for a specific amount of time and commit themselves to studying until the alarm indicates the time is up. Students often think they have studied “long enough” when they have actually studied for only 10 minutes! A handy timer app lets them know for certain if they have studied long enough to do well on an exam.
Virtual Study Group App
Similar to Zoom or Google Hangout but more convenient and easy to access, a virtual study group app could incorporate the ability to make video and phone calls to others, share notes and study material with students who may have missed a class, and study for an exam with students who are also taking the exam. Virtually studying for tests or completing homework is also a great way to brainstorm and get insights about difficult concepts. This would be another great use for Shoutem’s Social Network App template!
Quiz App
Take quizzes in a variety of subjects, see how well you do on quizzes, retake quizzes with questions that are worded differently, and keep taking a quiz until 100 percent is achieved. Quiz apps for science and math subjects may offer answers with added explanations of a particularly difficult concept. This type of simple app could also include tips for memorizing dates and rote answers associated with English grammar and historical events.
Competitive Exam App
One of the biggest worries looming over a high school graduate is doing well on a competitive exam. This type of app should provide study material, quizzes, and other general knowledge information. Some competitive exams may focus only on certain subjects, like math and science. Building apps for particular competitive exams would be useful for students entering specialized universities.
How to Take an Educational App Idea from Concept to Creation
Developing an app from the bottom up requires extensive knowledge of coding. However, Shoutem is the leading app-building platform that starts app makers at the top, not the bottom.
Shoutem makes it fun and easy to create apps for your personal needs or to jumpstart a business selling your own apps. In fact, it’s never been a better time to create unique apps and make money selling them. In 2022, an unbelievable 255 billion apps were downloaded globally. As an entrepreneur of a mobile app development company, you could become part of that lucrative statistic using Shoutem’s user-friendly software.
Education industry apps are perhaps the most downloaded type of app in the world. Using one of Shoutem’s several app templates, such as our social media app or notification/news app, you could build your own school app for personal use or for selling in app stores. All you need to do is drag and drop features into place, choose colors, fonts, and other preferences, and then modify images or text to put the finishing touches on your app.
The Shoutem team will support you throughout the app-building process and even publish your app at no charge on the iPhone/Android store once you are done building your app. Anybody can establish their own startup, educational app development company using the Shoutem application development platform.
FAQs on App Ideas for Students
Why are apps important for students?
Research has shown that educational apps strengthen teaching and learning experiences. For example, teachers realize that engaging and motivating students to achieve homework and test result goals is the most difficult aspect of teaching. Parents would like to see apps that offer academic assistance in an entertaining and yet thought-provoking way.
How can a beginner create an app?
If you’ve never created an app before, Shoutem is the perfect platform for you. Just pick out an idea for an app, use one of our preset templates, add a series of app features that make sense for your app, and before you know it, you’ll have created an interactive app that’s ready to be published on the app store.
Want a more specific overview? Learn more about how to use the Shoutem app builder!
How do I choose an app idea?
For one week, keep a list of problems you encounter or hear of—whether you are a student, parent, teacher, or school administrator. For example, a college professor wishes he could send lecture notes to students who miss a class. A tenth-grade teacher wants to keep students involved with somewhat dry history lessons with an app that tells stories using cartoon-like animations and dialogue bubbles. A first-year student college student wants an app that provides information about the cost of textbooks in the college bookstore. Just ask anybody involved with the education system what they wish there was an app for and you’ll have plenty of ideas!
What should be on a school app?
That depends on the type of app you plan to create. Essential app features include how-to screens, a user-friendly interface, search options, and scalable text. Shoutem also offers additional features such as a user-profile extension, permissions extension, QR code scanner, and many more.
How do I know if my app idea is good?
You could pitch your app idea and gauge interest in the app before building it on Shoutem’s platform. If you receive good feedback on your pitch from reviewers, you might be ready to start building. Always take feedback seriously when reviews suggest modifications to your app idea. It’s easy to change your app on Shoutem and to re-pitch the idea after further development.
