Compare
Patoo, MySchool Jamaica and Excel: how they compare.
MySchool Jamaica has been used in Jamaican schools since 2004 and does a lot; Patoo is a newer system made around Jamaican high-school report cards, phones and Ministry files, and Excel is what many schools still use.
Side by side.
We checked Patoo against its own code on 26 October 2026 and read MySchool's public pages in October 2026. "Not verified" means we could not find a public source either way. It does not mean MySchool lacks the feature. Please check anything that matters to you before you decide.
| What a high school needs | Patoo | MySchool Jamaica | Excel or paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report cards with class and grade positions | Yes, with ties handled | Yes1 | By hand |
| Mid-term, mock and end-of-year reports | Yes | Not verified | By hand |
| Marks approved by the head of department, then locked when cards publish | Yes | Not verified | No |
| Comment suggestions from a student's real marks and attendance | Yes (built-in rules; the teacher edits) | Yes (AI comment assistant)2 | No |
| Parent access to report cards | The parent and student portal is part of Patoo | Needs a parent access licence3 | No |
| Works in a phone browser | Every page | Web app and a parent app4 | No |
| Register works offline and saves later | Yes | Not verified | Paper only |
| EMIS attendance and student-roll files | Yes (files to upload) | Not verified | Typed again |
| PATH list (students under 85% attendance) | Yes | Not verified | By hand |
| Timetable and cover | Yes | Yes (timetable)5 | Separate |
| Fee bills and receipts | Yes | Yes (fee billing)5 | Receipt book |
| School website staff can edit | Free with Patoo | Not verified | No |
| Lesson plans and quizzes | Not yet | Yes5 | Not applicable |
| Price | First school year free for founding schools, then a yearly amount per student | Not verified. The Ministry rolled it out free to schools in 2019 to 2020; current terms not verified6 | Free, but it costs teacher time |
Sources
- MySchool help centre: student position calculation
- MySchool help centre: AI Comment Assistant
- MySchool help centre: print or publish report cards (SMS costs extra, parent access licence)
- MySchool parent app on Google Play
- MySchool help centre (timetable, fees, lesson planning, quizzes)
- Ministry rollout of MySchool, December 2019
What Patoo does not do yet.
So there are no surprises:
- SMS and WhatsApp messages
Patoo cannot send them to parents yet. Email works today.
- Online fee payment
Fees are recorded and receipted in Patoo, not paid through it.
- A phone app to install
Patoo runs in the phone's browser.
- Past marks and old report cards
Students, staff, parents and classes come in from a spreadsheet. Past marks stay in your old system for now.
- Lesson plans, quizzes and Google Classroom
Not built. MySchool has these.
Where Patoo may suit your school better.
- Made around Jamaican report cards
Class and grade positions with ties, conduct, comments, mid-term, mock and end-of-year reports, and a whole form's cards in one PDF.
- Built for phones
Every page works in a phone browser, and the register works offline.
- Ministry and PATH files
EMIS attendance and student-roll files, census tables and the under-85% list.
- Local help to start
Built in Jamaica, with help setting up. Founding schools get the first school year free.
Questions
Quick answers.
Is Patoo better than MySchool Jamaica?
Not on every count. MySchool has been used in Jamaican schools since 2004 and does more, including lesson plans and quizzes. Patoo is newer and made around Jamaican high-school report cards, phone use and Ministry files. The fairest test is to see report-card day in both.
Can we bring our students from MySchool into Patoo?
You can bring in forms, staff, students and parents from a spreadsheet, for example an Excel export from your current system. Past marks and old report cards are not imported yet, so they stay in your old system for now.
What does Patoo cost compared with MySchool?
We do not know what MySchool costs your school today, and we do not guess. Many public schools got it free through the Ministry in 2019 to 2020. For Patoo, founding schools pay nothing for the first school year, then schools pay a yearly amount per student. Ask us for your school's price.
Founding schools
See it with your own school in mind.
A demo shows report day from mark sheet to report card. Founding schools get their first school year free.