The best e-signature app for schools: permission slips, enrollment and staff forms
Schools collect more signatures than almost anyone: a permission slip for every trip, a photo release for every child, enrollment packets, tutoring agreements, staff contracts. Most of them come from parents, on phones, often in more than one language. This guide compares five tools on that job, using each company's own pages as of November 2026. Your district may already pay for one of them, so check that first. SignMaster is ours, and it isn't the best fit for every school.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
On this page
What schools sign, and who signs it
- Permission slipsOne per student per trip, from a parent, by a deadline. A field trip permission slip is the classic bulk job.
- Photo releasesOnce a year per child, kept on file for the yearbook and the website. See the photo release form.
- Enrollment and tutoringEnrollment for private schools and daycares, and tutoring agreements for after-school programs.
- Staff paperworkOffer letters, handbook acknowledgments and policy sign-offs, sent to every teacher at the start of the year.
Five options at a glance
| Option | Education pricing | Good at | Limits to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Docs eSignature | Included in Education Plus when an admin turns it on | Signing inside Docs and Drive | Up to 10 signers per request |
| Jotform | 50% off Bronze, Silver and Gold for education | Forms with signatures, like permission slips | Signed documents capped per month on every plan |
| DocuSign | None listed on the eSignature pricing page | Staff contracts and HR | Bulk send and web forms need Business Pro |
| Adobe Acrobat | Not checked here | Schools that already use Acrobat for PDFs | Team plans are annual only |
| SignMaster | None | Parents signing from a link in their language | Free plan is one sender; bulk send needs a paid plan |
Each option for a school
Google Docs eSignature: if your school runs on Google
Google's help center lists eSignature for Docs and Drive PDFs on Education Plus, among other editions, once an admin turns it on. You can request signatures from up to 10 signers per request, with up to 200 fields per document, and the finished PDF ends with an audit trail page. Saving a PDF with fields as a template lets you reuse it. If your district already has Education Plus, try this before buying anything.
Jotform: permission slips as forms
Jotform lists half off its Bronze, Silver and Gold plans for education. Bronze is $34 a month billed annually before that discount, with 100 signed documents a month; the free Starter plan allows 10. Its template gallery includes consent documents and waivers. A permission slip that's really a form, with a few questions and a signature, is Jotform's sweet spot.
DocuSign: for the business office
DocuSign Standard is $25 per user a month billed yearly with 100 envelopes per user a year, and Business Pro, at $40, adds bulk send and PowerForms for self-service signing. It fits contracts, vendor agreements and HR paperwork from the business office more than a slip for every child in third grade.
Adobe Acrobat: if staff already live in Acrobat
Acrobat Pro for teams, at $23.99 per license a month on an annual plan, includes e-signature requests, web forms and sending in bulk, alongside Acrobat's PDF editing. We didn't check Adobe's education offers for this page, so ask Adobe or your reseller what your school qualifies for before comparing on price.
SignMaster: parents in many languages
SignMaster suits a school that sends from a small office to many families. A public signing link or QR code in the newsletter lets each parent fill and sign their own slip, while bulk send mails a personal copy to every family on a class list with the student's name filled in. Parents see the page and emails in 6 languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese (Simplified). It has no education discount, the Free plan is for one sender with 3 envelopes a month, and it doesn't connect to student information systems.
Collecting a permission slip from a whole class
- 1
Make the slip a template
Trip name, date, cost and the student's name become fields. Add a checkbox for medical notes and a second parent signature if your policy wants one.
- 2
Choose link or list
A public link works when parents fill in the student's details themselves. A class list in a spreadsheet works when you'd rather fill them in for each family.
- 3
Set a sign-by date and reminders
Reminders go out on their own as the date gets close, so the office isn't chasing the last five slips by phone.
Questions? Answers.
Can parents sign a permission slip on their phone?
Yes, with any option here. Parents open a link from an email or a QR code and sign in the browser, with no account and no app.
Is a parent's e-signature valid for a minor?
A parent or guardian signs for their child, and e-signature laws generally treat that like a paper signature. See how to get a parent's signature for a minor for the practical steps.
Does Google Workspace for Education include e-signatures?
Google's help center lists eSignature on Education Plus, with an admin turning it on. It doesn't mention other Education editions on that page, so check with your Workspace admin.
How do we keep track of who has signed?
In SignMaster, every envelope shows whether it's been opened and signed, and on paid plans the Responses tab puts every answer to a template in one table, so the office sees each student's slip, allergy notes and all, and can export the list as a CSV for the trip leader.
Is there an education discount on SignMaster?
No. Schools pay the same plan prices as everyone else; Crew is $49 a month for 5 staff.
Sources
- Google Docs Editors Help: eSignature · support.google.com
- Jotform pricing · jotform.com
- Jotform Sign · jotform.com
- DocuSign eSignature pricing · ecom.docusign.com
- Adobe Acrobat for business pricing · adobe.com
- Adobe: request e-signatures · adobe.com