From private tutoring to piano lessons, driver's ed to cooking and ceramics, educators show up in so many ways to help students grow. What do you all have in common? Days spent juggling back-to-back appointments, parent check-ins, inevitable reschedules, and the endless prep that comes with running a business. With so much on your plate, your time is valuable—and keeping schedules straight shouldn't be part of the curriculum.

No matter the subject, Acuity Scheduling was made to keep you on track. Our customizable scheduling software helps you keep classes full, cut down on back-and-forth emails, and give students a smoother experience at every step.

This guide is your shortcut to getting started. It’s a quick, practical path to understanding Acuity and setting up your scheduling system for how you work. That way, you can take your focus off the bookings and direct it back to your services.

How education scheduling software helps your business run smoothly

Every educator and business owner knows the difference a clear schedule makes. With Acuity, you can trade sticky notes and late-night texts for an organized system that works for you and your students. A smarter process with education scheduling software means:

Less time on logistics, more time for lesson planning and instruction.
No more double-bookings or mix-ups. Everyone knows exactly where and when to show up.
Fewer no-shows with automated reminders for clients and staff.
Easier checkout and revenue growth with payment collected upfront.
Support for online and in-person learning, so your schedule works no matter the setting.

The admin side wasn’t why you got into this work, and with the right education scheduling software, it doesn’t have to hold you back.

The smartest scheduling features you need to try

Who does education scheduling software work for, really? Just about everyone. Acuity is flexible enough to support a wide range of professionals, including language tutors, art and music teachers, voice and acting coaches, life coaches, pottery studios, and so much more.

If you’re booking staff meetings, private lessons, group classes, or hands-on workshops, Acuity’s features flex to fit your needs. Here are some of the top tools educators and coaches count on to simplify scheduling:

Joining video call — Visioconférence

Integrate Acuity with video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, or GoToMeeting to auto-generate meeting links and make it simple for students to join virtual sessions. Class starts on time, every time.

Client intake form question for student — Formulaires de renseignements personnalisés

Beyond the basics like name and contact info, you can create custom intake forms to gather important details or secure policy agreements. Ask about goals, skill levels, or learning preferences, and you’ll get the context you need to shape sessions and personalize instruction.

Online checkout screen for appointment — Online payments

Get compensated for your time with deposits, full prepayment, or other options like payment links. Whether you charge per class, by the semester, or through monthly memberships, Acuity makes payment collection seamless.

Tutor using Acuity Scheduling mobile app — Mobile app

Keep your schedule in your pocket with the Acuity mobile app. Check appointments, reschedule lessons, and manage student bookings from anywhere—whether you’re in the classroom, at home, or on the go.

Creating packages, gift certificates, & subscriptions in Acuity Scheduling — Packs et abonnements

Encourage student commitment and steady income with prepaid lesson bundles or recurring memberships. Perfect for tutoring packages, semester-long classes, or ongoing coaching programs.

How to set up Acuity Scheduling for your education business

Ready to get your schedule under control? Here’s your step-by-step path to setting up Acuity fast, so you can start filling classes and driving positive outcomes for your business.

More of a visual learner? Watch an on-demand webinar to get set up with confidence, or explore our YouTube tutorials to see Acuity in action.

1. Design your scheduling page

Edit your booking page with your branding, logo, and colors so it feels like an extension of your classroom or business. Use Acuity’s style editor to:

Generate a color palette based on your logo or an image of your choice, or choose from different presets.
Select your favorite font.
Check your work as you bring your page to life with live preview.
Automatically match your Squarespace website styles.

Learn more about editing your scheduling page in Acuity.

Customizing the online booking page for a tutor in Acuity

2. Set your availability and scheduling limits

Teaching schedules aren’t always 9 to 5. With Acuity, you can shape your calendar to match your rhythm, whether you work evenings, weekends, or need extra time between sessions. Update your availability to control when people can book:

Set general hours that repeat each week, or vary them to fit semester schedules and changing commitments.
Assign specific hours to each appointment type, like group classes in the afternoons and private tutoring sessions in the evenings.
Block off prep, grading, or personal time with just a few clicks, so you don’t burn out trying to do it all.

You can also fine-tune your calendar with scheduling limits. Set rules around how many classes or sessions you’ll take per day or week, booking and cancellation windows, and start time intervals. Use the Look busy and Minimize gaps settings to keep your calendar balanced and avoid awkward downtime.

Learn more about managing availability in Acuity.

3. Create appointments and classes to represent your services

What services do you offer? Create as many appointment types as you need, like one-on-one meetings, group classes, office hours, or workshops. Give each appointment type a clear name, detailed description, duration, and pricing (if relevant) so it’s easy for people to book.

At this point, you’ll also want to consider:

Adding appointment padding to give yourself buffer time before or after sessions to jot down notes, gather materials, or just take a breather
Enhancing each listing with a relevant image or icon
Color-coding appointment types (visible only to you) for an easier calendar view

Learn more about setting up appointments and classes in Acuity.

4. Add packages or subscription options

Consistency is the key to learning, and Acuity makes it simple to encourage ongoing commitment with packages and subscriptions. Bundle a set number of lessons together (like “10 tutoring sessions for $400”), or give students recurring access to your services on a weekly or monthly basis.

Not only does this simplify billing and give you predictable income, it also keeps students motivated to stick with their learning goals. For example, a music teacher might sell a monthly subscription that includes one lesson per week, while a test prep tutor could offer a discounted package of sessions leading up to exam season.

Learn more about creating packages and creating subscriptions in Acuity.

“As soon as a parent registers for our monthly subscription, I schedule 8 to 36 classes out. It only takes me about 60 seconds to do, and that student and parent are set for 2 to 9 months straight.”

— Writing Wonders

5. Customize intake forms

Every student brings unique goals, strengths, and challenges to the table. Intake forms help you understand those details before you meet, so you can hit the ground running. Create and attach custom forms to appointment types to gather the information that matters most to you.

Ask questions that set you up for success, like:

What subject or skill are you focusing on?
What’s your current level of experience?
Are there upcoming exams, performances, or deadlines?
How do you prefer to learn—visual, hands-on, discussion-based?

For example, a language tutor could ask students about their proficiency level and goals, while an art instructor might ask about preferred mediums. This upfront context saves time, helps you tailor your lessons, and shows students you’re invested in their progress.

Learn more about client intake forms and agreements in Acuity.

6. Connect a payment processor

Before you can start getting paid for your services, you need to connect a payment processor. Acuity integrates with Square, Stripe, and PayPal, so you can collect payment seamlessly. Once your preferred payment processor is connected, choose how you want to accept payment:

Require deposits or full payments at booking.
Send payment links via text or email for ultimate convenience.
Create and send custom invoices that match your business, and track payment status.
Easily charge in person after class with quick and contactless checkout tools.

Learn more about accepting payments in Acuity.

“Acuity’s online payments allow us to collect payments when they book. This helps reduce no-shows and hold people accountable for scheduling or canceling before 24 hours.”

— Mud Hut Pottery Studio

7. Connect a video conferencing platform

Meeting online? Acuity makes it easy to bring your students into the virtual classroom. Simply connect your preferred video conferencing platform (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet, or GoToMeeting), and select the relevant appointment types for which you want to use video.

Acuity will automatically generate a unique meeting link any time that appointment or class is booked. That link goes straight into the confirmation and reminder emails—no extra effort required on your part. This means fewer missed connections and less last-minute scrambling.

Learn more about connecting video conferencing to Acuity.

8. Invite your staff

If you’re running a school or program with multiple instructors, invite your team to Acuity. Add staff members as contributors to help you manage the schedule. Based on the permissions you select, contributors can log in to Acuity, view upcoming appointments, book new ones, and view or edit client details.

If you’re on an Acuity plan with multiple bookable calendars, set up a calendar for each staff member so students can book them directly, or enable pooled availability to assign appointments round-robin style or in order of priority.

Learn more about setting up new staff members in Acuity.

9. Automate appointment notifications

Customize automated alerts to reduce no-shows, keep students on time, and give parents peace of mind. Acuity lets you send email, SMS, and push notifications for both clients and staff.

Client notifications

Automatically send confirmations, reminders, cancellations, reschedules, and follow-ups. These email notifications are on by default with ready-to-use templates, but you can edit them to match your voice and include any necessary instructions. For added protection against no-shows, enable SMS reminders (available on select plans).

Learn more about customizing your notifications in Acuity.

Staff notifications

Keep your team in the loop with email summaries, appointment reminders, and push notifications via the Acuity mobile app. Staff can receive alerts about new, rescheduled, or canceled appointments so everyone stays on the same page.

Learn more about sending internal notifications in Acuity.

Extra credit: Tips to get the most out of Acuity Scheduling

Once your foundation is set, these bonus moves can help maximize your scheduling power:

Synchronisez vos calendriers

Keep your personal and professional calendars synced to avoid double-bookings. Acuity works with Google Calendar, Outlook, iCal, and more to prevent conflicts and help you stay organized across platforms. Learn more about syncing your calendar.

Add your scheduler to your website

While you can certainly use Acuity on its own, it’s also easy to add your scheduler to your business website if you have one. Add a booking button or bar, or embed Acuity directly into your site experience so students and parents can book instantly without leaving your page. Learn more about adding Acuity to your website.

Share your booking link

Link to your online booking page in email signatures, parent communication, or social profiles so you’re always just one click away. With direct links, you can send your audience to a specific calendar, appointment type, category, or location. If you offer classes, packages, gift certificates, or subscriptions, you can link to those, too. Learn more about sharing direct links.

Offer coupons and gift certificates

Set up coupon codes or digital gift cards that can be redeemed online. They’re a great option for new client acquisition, back-to-school promotions, seasonal workshops, or milestone achievements. Learn more about creating coupons and selling gift certificates.

Send customized follow-up emails

Your automatic confirmation and reminder emails set the stage, but follow-up emails can make just as big an impact. Use them to send thank-you notes, share practice resources, or offer words of encouragement. You can also include review requests, surveys, or even a coupon for future sessions—small touches that nurture relationships and boost retention. Learn more about sending follow-up emails.

Connect with other digital tools

Acuity plays nicely with the rest of your tech stack, so scheduling fits right into your existing workflow. Sync with tools like your CRM or email marketing platform to make processes simpler and more effective. Learn more about using integrations.

“Acuity Scheduling helps me save time and makes my life as a business owner much easier. It’s so helpful that my clients can schedule and update appointments directly versus having to go back and forth via email... It’s also become one of my go-to tools for time management and organization. I love that it syncs directly to my calendar, that I can easily block off times, and also clearly see what my day or week is looking like.”

— The Step Forward

Get scheduled and get growing

Educators wear a lot of hats, but “full-time scheduler” doesn’t need to be one of them. With Acuity Scheduling, you can streamline your calendar, reduce stress, and give your students (and their parents) an experience that keeps them coming back.

If you’re already signed up, log in and customize your setup today.

If you’re new here, start a free trial and see why Acuity is the best education scheduling software for tutors, teachers, and class management.

Commencer

Foire aux questions

Education scheduling software helps educators, tutors, and coaches manage bookings for classes, lessons, and sessions. Instead of juggling spreadsheets or emails, it automates sign-ups, reminders, and payments to save time and reduce scheduling conflicts. Offer clients a simple online calendar to book their spot, submit payment, and get confirmations and updates without extra work.
Class scheduling software is designed for multiple attendees in a single time slot (like a group class), while appointment scheduling software usually supports one-on-one sessions. Acuity Scheduling lets you do both, so you can run private lessons, group classes, or recurring courses all from the same platform.
Acuity Scheduling makes it simple to set up recurring classes, lessons, or meetings. Students can book a repeating time slot, and both staff and clients get automatic reminders, without you needing to manage it manually. This is especially helpful for semester-long courses, ongoing tutoring, or weekly coaching sessions.
With Acuity Scheduling, you create a branded booking page where people can sign up for sessions that fit their schedule. You’ll stay organized with synced calendars, automated reminders, and built-in payment options—all in one place.
Yes. Acuity allows you to create group classes with enrollment caps, set recurring availability, accept payments, and send automated reminders to reduce no-shows.
Yes, with the right scheduling software. Acuity is flexible and works for both in-person and online classes. You can set up in-person sessions at your location or connect Acuity with video conferencing platforms to automatically send links for virtual classes.
Absolutely. Acuity supports one-on-one appointments, workshops, courses, consultations, and more in the same system. Many educators use Acuity for both private tutoring and group sessions on the same booking page.
Look for features like self-booking, calendar syncing, recurring and group classes, payment collection, customizable intake forms, automated reminders, and multi-staff scheduling. Acuity Scheduling includes all of these (and more) to help you streamline your education business.
You name it… Tutors, teachers, coaches, test prep centers, after-school programs, universities, and higher education professionals all use Acuity to manage bookings. Even businesses running educational group experiences, from wine and cooking classes to weaving and pottery classes, use Acuity today to make scheduling simple.
Acuity handles the time-consuming admin tasks so you can spend less time on logistics and more time focused on teaching. Centralize booking, client intake, payments, reminders, and cancellations in one powerful platform to improve efficiency and grow your business.