3 Digital Homeschool Planners Worth Knowing (Including One Made Right Here in the Valley)
If you've ever spent 20 minutes hunting down a grading sheet, realized mid-semester that your record-keeping is a mess, or simply thought there has to be a better way to organize all of this -- you're not alone.
Many Walla Walla families start out with notebooks, binders, or printed planners. They work until they don't. And then comes the search for something better.
Digital homeschool planners have come a long way, and there are some genuinely good options out there now. Our community has tried a few of them -- including Homeschool Panda and Homeschool Planet --and we're rounding up three worth knowing about, including one created by a homeschool family right here in our community.
First, a Local Gem: Graidle
Let's start close to home.
Graidle (graidle.com) is a brand-new digital gradebook and curriculum management platform, built by Temah and TJ Alleman, a homeschooling family in our own community. Temah is the primary educator and the one who keeps asking for new features. Her husband TJ is the software engineer who made it happen. Their two daughters, ages 12 and 15, are the daily users and toughest critics.
That origin story matters. Graidle wasn't designed by a team guessing at what homeschool families need. It was built because one homeschool mom needed it, and a dad who happened to be a senior software engineer said, "I can build that."
What Graidle includes:
A clean, intuitive gradebook across all subjects and students
Assignment tracking with due dates and a student-facing dashboard
Separate instructor and student portals (so your kids see their work, you see the big picture)
Curriculum planning to map out your whole year
Family management for multiple kids at different grade levels
Co-op collaboration tools (on the Pro plan, up to 20 users)
The student portal is worth highlighting. Students get their own dashboard showing pending assignments, upcoming deadlines, calendar events, and unread messages -- a real tool for building independence and ownership of their learning. If that's something you're working toward with your kids, this is built for it.
Pricing:
30-day free trial, no credit card required
Standard plan: $6/month (up to 8 users -- great for families)
Pro plan: $15/month (up to 20 users, ideal for co-ops)
Mobile apps for iOS and Android are in the works.
Meet them in person: Graidle will be at our Annual Book Swap and Resource Fair on June 25th at Calvary Chapel Walla Walla. Temah and TJ are genuinely interested in hearing from local families about what's working, what's missing, and what would make it even better for our community. If you've been curious about the tool, this is a perfect opportunity to ask questions face-to-face and give your input directly to the people building it.
Best for: Families who want a clean, modern, beautiful experience without much complexity. Especially great if gradebook management and student independence are priorities.
Homeschool Panda: The All-in-One Ecosystem
Homeschool Panda (homeschoolpanda.com) has been around longer and leans into being a comprehensive homeschool hub -- and it really is comprehensive. We've used it here in the HWW community, and it delivers on that promise.
Beyond lesson planning and gradebook features, it includes a digital book tracker, budget and expense tracking, a lesson plan marketplace where community members share plans, and something called Panda Connect -- a private, ad-free social network built specifically for homeschoolers. That last feature is genuinely unique. If you've ever wished there was a safe, homeschool-specific space to connect with other families, share your journey, and find community beyond local geography, Panda Connect exists for exactly that.
It also has iOS and Android apps available now.
Pricing:
Free plan: Social features only (Panda Connect)
Essentials: $5/month (calendar, lesson planner, book tracker, student portal, reports)
Pro: $8/month (adds transcripts, lesson plan marketplace, budget tracking, unlimited storage)
30-day free trial available
Best for: Families who want everything in one place, love the idea of a built-in homeschool community, or need budget tracking alongside their school planning.
Worth knowing: It's feature-rich, which is wonderful -- but it can feel like a lot to navigate at first, especially if you just want simple gradebook and planning tools.
Homeschool Planet: The Curriculum Integration Powerhouse
Homeschool Planet (homeschoolplanet.com) is the most established of the three and has a standout feature that sets it apart: an enormous lesson plan marketplace with over 3,100 integrated lesson plans from well-known curriculum publishers.
We've used Homeschool Planet too, and the curriculum integration is genuinely impressive. Instead of spending hours setting up your school year from scratch, you select your curriculum and the lesson plans load right into your planner -- assignments, schedules, and all. That setup time savings alone was a big deal. For families running multiple kids on structured curricula, it can feel like someone finally handed you the keys.
It's also highly customizable, with flexible grading, color coding, transcripts, report cards, and the ability to merge home, school, and work schedules all in one place. Annual members get additional direct homeschool support throughout the school year, which is a nice bonus.
Pricing:
30-day free trial (includes a free lesson plan)
Monthly: $9.95/month
Annual: $84.95/year (best value)
Mobile app available
Best for: Families using established published curricula who want lesson plans to load automatically, or families who love deep customization and robust reporting.
Side-by-Side at a Glance
So, Which One Is Right for You?
There's no wrong answer here -- it really comes down to what your family needs most.
If you're looking for something beautiful, focused, and built by people who get it, start with Graidle. There's something meaningful about supporting a local homeschool family who built the thing they wished existed. And at $6/month with a 30-day free trial, there's very little risk in trying it. Even better -- you can meet Temah and TJ in person at our Annual Book Swap and Resource Fair on June 25th and tell them exactly what you'd want from a tool like this.
If you want the most features and love the idea of a built-in homeschool community, Homeschool Panda is worth a look -- we've used it, and it delivers. And if your homeschool uses a structured, published curriculum, Homeschool Planet is hard to beat. The lesson plan integration alone cut our setup time significantly, and that's time back in your day that you can actually spend teaching.
All three offer free trials with no credit card required. That means you can try any or all of them and see which one actually fits how your family works -- because the best planner is the one you'll actually use.
Have you tried any of these tools? We'd love to hear what's working for your family -- drop a comment below or share in our community Facebook group!
Want more local homeschool resources, event updates, and community highlights delivered to your inbox? Join our free email list below. And if you're looking for deeper support and connection, our Homeschool Insiders membership includes exclusive monthly resources, priority access to events, and a community of Walla Walla families who get it. [Learn more here.]