A good student planner can be a game-changer for students of any age. However, to make the best choice, it is important to understand why and how these materials benefit children, what key features to look for and how to choose the best student planners for your requirements.
Key Features to Look for in Student Planners
There are many different styles of datebooks, but the most successful ones share some common features.
| Feature | Description | Importance |
| Monthly calendar | A view of the entire month with space to write important dates and deadlines | Helps students plan and visualize upcoming events, reducing last-minute stress |
| Weekly or daily layout | Sections for each day or week to record assignments, tests and activities | Encourages daily organization and helps students prioritize tasks effectively |
| To-do lists | Checklist or tracker for assignments, projects and other tasks | Aids in task management and ensures students do not forget anything important |
| Goal-setting pages | Dedicated space for students to set academic and personal goals | Promotes self-reflection and motivation |
| Notes section | Blank or lined pages for additional notes | Provides flexibility for students to jot down ideas, reminders or important information |
| Study tips and resources | Sections designed to aid effective studying and time management techniques | Supports the development of good academic habits |
| Reflection pages | Space for students to identify and reflect on strengths, progress and challenges | Encourages self-awareness and helps students identify areas for improvement |
| Personalization options | Customizable covers, stickers or layouts | Encourages ownership and engagement, making the planner more appealing to use |
Choosing Planners for Different Ages
Children need different tools at different stages of their academic careers. Look for key design elements to ensure the planner you are considering is appropriate for the age group.
| School Stage | Design | Importance |
| Elementary | Colorful, lots of illustrations, with a simple layout and space for drawings or stickers | Captures attention and makes it easy to understand for young learners |
| Middle School | Weekly and monthly views with goal-setting pages and subject-specific sections | Encourages organization as students take on more subjects and helps develop time management skills |
| High School | Detailed daily and weekly layouts, to-do lists with priority sections, plus career or college planning pages | Prepares students for independence and future planning, while supporting complex schedules and responsibilities |
Success By Design — Trusted by Educators Nationwide
Success By Design has been a leading supplier for over 35 years. Their goal is to promote development and success through planning. All of the planner content is written by professional educators and designed to inspire change.
Success By Design’s Planners With a Purpose range features planners themed around character building, social and emotional learning, and success planning. Beautifully designed for each age group, each product in the range incorporates motivating and appealing tips, challenges and activities as appropriate. There is always plenty of room for tracking assignments and goals, plus engaging, age-appropriate educational sections.
The company also offers a range of STEM planners, specifically designed to encourage students of all ages to build their confidence in these vital subjects and to spark interest in a future STEM career.
Bulk discounts are available from as few as 50 items, and customized covers are available for all orders of 100 or more. Build pride and community with a striking cover in your school’s primary and secondary colors, showing your institution’s name, logo and mascot. Alternatively, choose from various attractive cover designs and simply add the school name. You can also upload your school handbook for inclusion in the planner.
There are PDF samples of every planner on the company website, so you can see exactly what is included while you narrow down your selection.
4 Popular Student Planners From Success By Design
Some of the most striking and bestselling planners in the Success By Design range include:
1. Build Character, Build Community Student Planner — Grades 2 to 5
This top-selling planner for young students focuses on character education. It is a weekly dated planner with four subject spaces for language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Weekly micro stories and monthly themes — such as acceptance, creativity and confidence — allow students to focus on different character-building concepts, while a daily emotion tracker encourages kids to tune in to and express their feelings.
Other features of this planner include a daily reading log, space for parent-teacher communication, and a full-color design with sturdy poly covers, rounded corners and plastic coil binding.
2. Daily Student Planner — Grades 3 to 6
This dated daily planner blends functionality with style and focuses on organization. It has large writing spaces, a clear structure, and six subject spaces for reading, language arts, math, spelling, science and social studies. An area for parent-teacher communication and a space for take-home or bring-to-school notes help take education beyond the classroom.
Thanks to a homework tracker and study skills and resources pages, students learn how to take responsibility for their own learning. The planner comes in a two-color format with rounded corners and sturdy plastic coil binding.
3. Plan Better, Live Boldly Student Planner — Grades 5 to 8
The Plan Better, Live Boldly Student Planner focuses on social and emotional learning. A weekly “Think, Feel and Act” section encourages students to self-evaluate their character, while monthly themes and fun challenges strengthen personal takeaways. Weekly goal-setting sections prompt students to envision and execute long-term progress.
The full-color planner includes four subject spaces for language arts, math, science and social studies, space for parent-teacher communication, and hall passes on every page. Success By Design’s rounded corners and plastic coil binding add durability.
4. Prepare, Excel, Succeed Student Planner — Grades 7 to 8
This weekly, dated planner features a modern design and focuses on weekly standardized test practice and student organization. Each week includes a vocabulary space and a goal-planning section. There are four subject spaces for language arts, math, science, and social studies. After-school planning spaces and an area for parent-teacher communication are also included. Full-page hall passes, monthly calendars and resource pages make this planner a great assistant for students’ daily lives.
Find the Best Student Planners for Your School or District
Giving your students the right planner can make a big difference to their academic success, as well as build character and essential life skills. With a wide range of options available, it is essential to choose an option that matches the relevant age or school stage and has useful and engaging features.
Review samples thoroughly to check that they contain everything required. With a good student planner in their backpacks, your cohort will have a valuable tool for their ongoing success.