Getting Started

What custom fields are and why they matter

Quick answer: Custom fields are the pieces of information Growth Suite tracks about each family. Your school's custom fields were set up during onboarding to match your specific forms and processes.

The simple explanation

Every family record in Growth Suite has standard fields — name, email, phone, address. Custom fields are everything beyond that: the student's grade, the date their health form was submitted, whether they signed the photo release, the family's volunteer hour requirement, and so on.

Your school's custom fields were created during onboarding based on the forms you sent us. If your enrollment form asks about food allergies, there's a custom field for that. If your volunteer agreement asks about preferred event types, there's a field for that too.

Where you'll see custom fields

• On every family record — usually in the left panel, organized into folders
• In smart list filters — you can build a smart list that filters on any custom field
• In forms parents fill out — most form fields are tied to custom fields
• In automated emails — your school's emails can reference custom fields (e.g., "Welcome back, {{student_name}}")
• In reports — custom fields can be columns in your reports

Why this matters

When you build a smart list, send a bulk message, or run a report, you're working with custom fields. The more familiar you are with what your school tracks, the better you'll use Growth Suite.

Should you create new custom fields yourself?

Generally, no — at least not without checking first.

Custom fields are interconnected with forms, automations, and reports. Adding a new field on its own usually isn't enough — it also needs to be added to a form so parents can fill it in, and to any automation that uses it, and to any report where it should appear.

If you think you need a new custom field, talk to your onboarding owner or submit a support ticket. We'll help you understand whether it's truly new or already exists, and make sure the rest of the system is updated to match.

Tips

• If you can't find a piece of information about a family that you think should be there, check the field's folder. It may just be in a section you haven't explored.
• If a field you expect to have data is empty across many families, the field may exist but the form that fills it might not have been sent yet.

Related articles

• How to get help with Growth Suite