Software evaluation
Class list software: compare the work before the price
Shibutz, Class Composer, Class Solver, or a spreadsheet? Start with how your elementary school collects teacher input, records placement rules, and reviews a draft. A tool belongs on your shortlist if staff can explain the resulting lists and check the exceptions.
Sources checked: . Shibutz publishes this comparison and is one of the products compared.
This is a public-documentation comparison, not a hands-on test of the competitor products or an exhaustive market ranking. We checked Shibutz claims against its current implementation and documentation. Competitor descriptions summarize the linked official pages in our own words. We did not independently verify their performance claims.
Vendor-documented means the vendor describes the capability. Not verified means this review did not establish it; it does not mean the product lacks it. The spreadsheet row is our assessment of a manual workflow, not a claim about every Excel or Google Sheets setup.
What the available evidence supports
Read across one approach at a time. On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally; keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys. Source links sit beside the claims they support.
| Approach and evidence | Roster and staff input | Placement rules | Review and handoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShibutzImplementation checked | CSV or Excel roster import with column mapping and duplicate review. Student records have defined behavior, emotion, social, and learning scales. | Enter pairing preferences, separation rules, and required student-to-class placements before generation. Review the result rather than assuming every friendship request can be met. | Saved placements show per-class statistics and friend-placement rates. Excel export requires export access, included with Pro. |
| Class ComposerVendor-documented | Class Composer documents CSV roster and assessment imports, teacher-entered student cards, and customizable identifiers and assessment fields. | The vendor describes generated starting classes, drag-and-drop adjustments, and requests to keep a student with a teacher or another student, or apart from another student. Requests can be overridden. | The vendor describes a data table that updates after moves, teacher-to-administrator review, printable student records, and small-group tools for use during the year. |
| Class SolverVendor-documented | Class Solver lists an import wizard, teacher surveys including specialist teachers, and customizable behavior, academic, and social-emotional information for balancing. | The vendor lists student/student and student/teacher pair-or-separate requests, nominated friendships, and mixed-grade classes. These descriptions are not independent proof of results on your constraints. | The vendor lists warning flags, its Boost decision-support feature, and sharing draft lists for teacher feedback. Confirm the final export format in a demonstration; it was not verified here. |
| SpreadsheetsMethod assessment | Keep the roster and staff input in a school-approved workbook. Your team chooses the columns and maintains consistent values; the setup depends on the file and software you use. | In a manual workbook, staff assign classes and check requests using their own review process or formulas. An add-on or custom solver is a separate system to evaluate, not a capability assumed here. | Staff can use a familiar file for review and handoff. Decide who can edit, which version is final, and who rechecks counts and restrictions after each change. |
When each approach fits
These are shortlist suggestions, not recommendations based on a scored trial. Use the evidence above to choose what to test.
Shibutz
Shibutz fits a workflow with one placement owner who prepares the roster and rules, then brings saved results and class statistics to a staff meeting.
Test whether the defined student fields fit your review criteria. Do not assume a teacher-survey workflow, shared approval process, or direct SIS synchronization from the ability to import a file.
Class Composer
Consider Class Composer if teachers will complete student cards and administrators will review their proposed classes. Its documented handoff of student information to next year's teachers may also matter beyond placement season.
Ask how your friendship policy maps to placement requests. Its FAQ distinguishes special-case keep-together requests from a goal of giving every student a friend. Test your required final class-list export format; it was not verified in this review.
Class Solver
Class Solver is worth testing if you need teacher surveys, specialist input, and feedback on draft lists in the same process. Include it in a mixed-grade evaluation too.
Ask the vendor to demonstrate which requests are mandatory, which can be relaxed, and what a warning means. Test a conflicting friendship request rather than treating the advertised friendship outcome as a guarantee.
Spreadsheets
Keep a spreadsheet when the roster and rules are manageable, staff trust the existing checks, and a named owner can review every change. A well-maintained workbook is a reasonable choice.
Ask another staff member to explain the formulas and reproduce the checks. If only the original author can do that, document the workbook before relying on it for final placement.
For Shibutz, a required classroom placement can record a decision your team has already made. It does not allocate specialists, schedule service minutes, or establish whether a classroom has appropriate staffing. Check those decisions separately with the people responsible for them.
Compare the purchasing terms you will actually use
Shibutz has Free and Pro plans; roster size, generation limits, and export access matter when choosing a trial. Class Composer describes a one-grade-level trial and subscription upgrade options in its FAQ. Class Solver publishes per-student regional pricing and annual subscription terms. Confirm the current terms directly before budgeting.
Ask for the cost of your actual cohort, which staff can participate, the access period, renewal terms, support, and the export you need. For a spreadsheet, check the school's existing licenses and the staff work needed to maintain it. No numeric time-saving estimate is assumed here.
Run the same synthetic trial in each tool
Use 24 invented students named Student 01 through Student 24 and three destination classes: A, B, and C, with eight seats each. These numbers are a test scenario, not a performance benchmark. Do not upload real student records for an initial demonstration.
- Import the roster. Give each student a synthetic external ID and vary the behavior, emotion, social, and learning ratings. Record which fields need mapping or manual entry.
- Ask to keep Students 01 and 02 together, separate Students 03 and 04, and place Student 05 in class A. Have the demonstrator explain which are preferences and which are mandatory rules.
- Create a draft. Check that all 24 students appear exactly once, no class exceeds eight seats, and each required placement and separation is satisfied. Inspect the per-class distributions; equal headcounts alone do not establish a suitable class.
- Introduce a conflict: request Students 03 and 04 together while retaining their separation rule. Observe whether the tool blocks, warns, or relaxes a preference, and whether staff can explain what happened. Remove the conflict before continuing.
- Change Student 05's required class to B, then produce and review another draft. In Shibutz, edit the workspace rules and generate again. Check what information is retained with each saved result.
- Demonstrate the final handoff with the intended subscription. Check the exported fields, sensitive notes, and who receives the file. Record unresolved questions before choosing.
Keep a simple evaluation record: requirement, observed result, exception, and reviewer. Mark untested requirements as untested. Shibutz's class assignment report template can hold the review notes; it is a separate document, not an in-app approval workflow.
Questions before any real roster is uploaded
Ask these of every vendor, including Shibutz, and of whoever manages your shared workbook. This page does not certify a product's privacy, security, or legal compliance.
- Which fields are necessary? Can the trial omit names, school details, and free-text notes?
- Who can see student information, change a draft, and approve the final list? Can access be removed when staff leave?
- Where is data stored and processed, and which providers receive it? Does the school need a particular agreement before upload?
- How long are rosters, saved drafts, exports, and backups retained? What happens after cancellation or a deletion request?
- Who reviews unmet preferences, overrides, and late changes? How will that decision be recorded without exposing another student's information?
- Who checks classroom staffing and service needs independently of the software's balance statistics?
For Shibutz, begin with the privacy policy and ask about any requirement it does not answer. Have your school's responsible reviewer assess the answers before using identifiable records.
Prepare the review before choosing software
The class lists guide covers the wider placement process. Use the placement templates for staff handoff, or read Shibutz vs spreadsheets if keeping your existing workbook is the main alternative.
If Shibutz fits your shortlist, start with the workspace guide and the synthetic scenario above.