Choosing the right CRM is a game changer for schools, academies, and universities. In 2025, education providers face more leads, more channels, and higher expectations from prospective students. A CRM is not just a contact manager anymore — it’s the backbone of your admissions and communication strategy.

But here’s the challenge: most CRMs weren’t built for education. And not every education CRM scales well.

This guide compares the top CRMs used by schools and education groups in 2025. Whether you’re a small bootstrapped academy or a large multi-campus institution, this article will help you find the best CRM for your needs.

What to look for in a CRM for education

Before jumping into names, let’s define what matters most for educational teams:

1. Custom fields

You need to track programs, campuses, intake cycles, lead sources, test scores, and more. Generic pipelines won’t cut it.

2. Multi-stage pipelines

Admissions workflows are complex. From inquiry to enrollment, you need clear stages and automatic transitions.

3. Automation

Trigger emails, WhatsApp messages, task assignments, or status changes when actions occur — without manual work.

4. Reporting

Understand what’s working and what’s not: conversion rates, lead response times, rep performance, cost per enrolled student.

5. Roles and permissions

Your admissions, marketing, academic and finance teams need different access levels. CRMs must adapt.

6. Integrations

It should work with your forms, website, WhatsApp, email, calendar, and — ideally — your learning platform.

7. Privacy compliance

GDPR isn’t optional. Consent tracking, data deletion, and secure storage are must-haves.

8. Support and scalability

Education is complex. You’ll want strong onboarding, fast support, and the ability to grow without changing tools.

Top 5 CRMs for Education in 2025

Here’s a detailed comparison of the most relevant CRMs for education providers in 2025. Each is evaluated based on pricing, flexibility, features, and real-world use in the education sector.

1. HubSpot

A favorite among digital-first schools, HubSpot is user-friendly, highly visual, and strong in automation. It shines when paired with marketing campaigns and integrates smoothly with websites, forms, and email. It’s ideal for schools running inbound strategies.

Pros:

• Free version available

• No-code automation

• Great analytics and dashboards

• Easy form integration

Cons:

• Advanced features require paid tiers

• Not built natively for education (needs customization)

2. Zoho CRM

Zoho is incredibly flexible and affordable. It works well for institutions with internal tech support or ops teams. It includes automation, multi-stage pipelines, scoring, and can manage multiple brands or campuses.

Pros:

• Low cost

• High flexibility

• Good mobile app and reporting

Cons:

• UI can feel outdated

• Needs time to implement well

3. Salesforce Education Cloud

The go-to for large universities or multi-school operators. Salesforce is powerful and deeply customizable, with a full education data model. It’s also the most enterprise-ready option.

Pros:

• Handles complex student journeys

• Supports any workflow

• Powerful analytics and integrations

Cons:

• Expensive

• Requires dedicated admins or consultants

4. Pipedrive

Simple, visual, and affordable — Pipedrive is great for small schools or fast-paced academies that don’t need deep customization. What you see is what you get.

Pros:

• Easy to use

• Clear pipeline views

• Quick to set up

Cons:

• Limited automation

• Basic reporting

5. Thrive (by Enquiry Tracker)

Built specifically for K-12 admissions teams, Thrive handles school open days, application flows, and interviews. Not ideal for higher ed, but excellent for private or international schools.

Pros:

• Built for schools

• Event and interview tracking

• Clean UI

Cons:

• Less flexible

• Pricing is opaque

When to choose which CRM

Where automation starts: beyond the CRM

Once you’ve picked your CRM, the real question is: are you using it to its full potential?

Most schools aren’t. Because most CRMs don’t act on their own. They store data, but they don’t:

• Call back leads

• Book meetings

• Qualify students

• Reply to WhatsApp at 11pm

That’s where tools like Reshape come in.

Reshape connects to your CRM and acts immediately:

• Responds to new leads in under 1 minute (via voice, WhatsApp or email)

• Qualifies with questions

• Answers FAQs

• Books meetings

• Syncs everything back to your CRM

You keep your CRM. Reshape just gives it a real-time layer.

Real use cases: what happens when you connect Reshape

Example 1: Night-time follow-up
A lead arrives through a landing page at 11:34pm. Reshape’s voice agent calls back immediately, qualifies the student, and books a meeting for the next day — before your team wakes up.

Example 2: Weekend WhatsApp
A family sends a question about pricing on Saturday afternoon. Reshape’s WhatsApp agent replies with tailored information and offers to schedule a call on Monday.

Example 3: Re-activation of cold leads
Your CRM tags 200 leads as unresponsive. Reshape runs a sequence of follow-up messages, requalifies interested students, and hands them back to your team.

Example 4: Instant response to open day forms
After a school event, a parent fills in a form. Reshape immediately responds via email and phone, answers 3 questions, and confirms a meeting with the admissions rep.

Result:

• Faster response times

• Lower manual workload

• More booked meetings

• Consistent experience

Final thoughts

Choosing the best CRM for education is not about buzzwords. It’s about matching your needs to the right tool.

Use this guide to find the CRM that fits your team, budget, and workflows.

And once you’re set up? Consider what happens when your CRM stops being passive and starts acting in real time.

That’s where education is headed.

Need help choosing or automating your CRM? Reach out at reshapeos.com