Adding your students from a spreadsheet
Add every classroom and student in one upload. Activation codes are made for you.
Adding your students is the next step in the setup guide after Square is connected. For more than about 30 students, the fastest way is to upload a spreadsheet — we'll create the classrooms, add the students, and make activation codes for everyone in one go. (Got just a handful? You can type them in by hand instead.)
How it works
- 1
Download the template
In the setup guide's Add your students step (or on Classrooms), click Import a class list, then Download the template. You'll get a starter spreadsheet with the right columns already in place.
Template download - 2
Fill it in
Open it in Excel or Google Sheets. You'll see four columns: first name, last name, classroom, and grade. One row per student. The classroom name is whatever your families would recognize — "Room 12" or "Mrs. Lee," either works.
Enter the student's full first and last name. PagePledge automatically shortens last names for privacy, showing an initial followed by a period. If students in the class share a first name, we use extra letters or a number to tell them apart. Even very short last names are never saved or shown in full.
- 3
Upload it back
Drag your saved file onto the upload area. You don't need to wait around — we'll do the work in the background and show you a summary when we're done.
The upload area - 4
Check the summary
We'll tell you how many students and classrooms got added. If anything looked off — a missing name, a typo in a classroom name — we'll flag it. Fix it in your spreadsheet and upload again. It's safe to do this as many times as you need.
The summary
Last names are shortened before saving
Use full first and last names in the spreadsheet. PagePledge shortens last names for privacy: Batke becomes Bat, Baxter becomes Bax, Lee becomes Le, and Li becomes L. A one-character last name is hidden entirely. If two students in a class have the same shortened name, we add a number to tell them apart. Full last names are never saved or shown after submission.
Two students with the same full name
Include one row for each child, even if the rows have identical names and classrooms. Two Tom Lees become “Tom L.” and “Tom L-2.”, each with their own activation code and donation page. Check for accidental extra rows before uploading.
Uploading the same roster again keeps both existing students. To add another child with that exact name later, include all students with that name and classroom in the CSV, or use Add student on the classroom page. If you upload only one row for that name, PagePledge assumes it's a student already in the class.
Uploading again is safe
To add new students, upload their rows. If a new student has the same full name as someone already in the class, include every child in that class with that name, as explained above. Uploading the same file again won't add students twice, and leaving a child out won't delete them. Existing activation codes, donations, and reading minutes stay with the same students.
Your plan's student limit
Once your campaign is paid for, its plan covers a set number of students (the limits are on the pricing page). An upload that would take you past it is turned down whole, and nothing is saved. Contact us to upgrade. Before you pay there's no limit; the price follows how many students you've added. See Paying for your campaign.
Teachers come later
The spreadsheet is just for students. Adding teachers to their classrooms is a separate step — see Inviting teachers.
What's next
- Invite your teachers — the next step in the setup guide.
- Printing take-home sheets.
- Adding a classroom or student by hand.