# What is an LMS?

> An LMS, or learning management system, is software where courses, lessons, assignments, tests and grades live. Here's what a school LMS does and how to choose one.

Learn · Glossary

A learning management system (LMS) is software where a school or organisation keeps its courses and runs the teaching around them: lessons, materials, assignments, tests, grades and progress.

- Page: https://sparkmentis.ai/learn/what-is-an-lms

## What a school LMS does

- Holds classes, courses and materials
- Sets and collects assignments and homework
- Runs quizzes and tests, and records grades
- Shows progress to teachers, students and parents

## What to look for

- It fits the way your school plans and assesses, not the other way round
- It handles paper work as well as online work
- AI helps with planning and marking, and people approve
- Parents and leaders can see what they need without asking

## LMS, ERP and SIS

An LMS runs teaching and learning. A school ERP runs operations such as fees, admissions and HR. A student information system (SIS) holds student records. Many schools use more than one, and some platforms cover parts of all three.

## Questions

**What are examples of an LMS?**

Google Classroom, Moodle, Canvas and Schoology are well-known ones. SparK-12 is SparkMentis's LMS for K–12 schools.

**Is an LMS only for online learning?**

No. A good school LMS runs in-person teaching too: plans, homework, paper tests and results.

## Related

- [SparK-12](https://sparkmentis.ai/products/spark-12.md): The K–12 LMS
- [LMS vs school ERP](https://sparkmentis.ai/learn/lms-vs-school-erp.md): Glossary
- [What is an SIS?](https://sparkmentis.ai/learn/student-information-system.md): Glossary
- [SparkMentis vs Google Classroom](https://app.sparkmentis.ai/compare/sparkmentis-vs-google-classroom): On app.sparkmentis.ai

## Book a demo

Email info@sparkmentis.ai (subject "SparkMentis demo request") with your organization, your role and the products you're interested in.