More Than Prizes Recap: How School Stores Drive Student Success

When schools aim to implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) school-wide, one of the most impactful ways to build engagement and consistency is through a school store. But making that vision a reality can raise a lot of questions:

• Who tracks what students earn?
• What rewards actually motivate students?
• And who has time to organize it all?

The good news: We’ve got answers—and it doesn’t have to be complicated.

🎥 Watch our recent panel to learn how Calico Rock Elementary and Pleasant View Middle School successfully set up and run their school stores using ClassBank’s Digital PBIS Tools, or read on for highlights and actionable tips.
‍

Why a School Store Works

A well-run school store helps bring behavior expectations to life. It connects your schoolwide goals to real incentives, making PBIS feel consistent, purposeful, and fun.

Here’s what a school store can offer:

• Consistency across classrooms: When staff are aligned, students are too. A shared system reinforces expectations, builds accountability, and creates a predictable learning environment across your campus.
• Positive reinforcement that sticks: A structured system for earning and spending school bucks keeps students engaged, helps shape habits, and makes your PBIS program sustainable.
• Real-world learning: As students track their earnings, set goals, and make decisions about saving or spending, they develop financial literacy and key decision-making skills they’ll use for life.

Real Solutions from Real Schools: Key Takeaways from the Panel

In our panel, educators Ariel Fountain (Calico Rock Elementary) and Jack O’Brien (Pleasant View Middle School) shared how they tackled the most common challenges schools face when setting up a school store.

🧮 Who tracks earnings?

Let the system do the work.
Using a Digital PBIS Tool like ClassBank means no more spreadsheets or paper tracking. Students log in to view balances in real time, and teachers and admins can easily award digital school bucks, access real-time behavior data, and review store trends.

🎯 What actually motivates students?

Start with student voice.
Both panelists emphasized the importance of asking students what excites them.
At PVMS, it’s all about experience-based rewards like “Fun Friday” or Sports Packages (which include four tickets to a school sporting event and two free concession items).
At Calico Rock, students love the monthly silent auctions—some even pool their savings to win big-ticket items together.

🧩 How do we manage it all?

Start small and grow with intention.
Ariel began with just her classroom before expanding schoolwide. Jack’s team created a School Store Committee, introduced student jobs, and enlisted their Life Skills class to help with reward delivery—freeing up staff while empowering students.

“Once the structure is in place, students run most of it themselves.”
– Jack O’Brien, PVMS

Digital PBIS Tools That Make It Easy

Managing a school store—especially one that spans multiple grades or classrooms—requires structure. Rather than building spreadsheets or manually tracking behaviors and student spending, Digital PBIS Systems like ClassBank make it easy to:

• Let students view their balances and make choices around saving or spending
• Digitally “purchase” rewards from a customizable school store page
• Assign job roles to students like “Store Clerk” so students help run the store
• View trends in behavior and store usage to inform planning

In short, it’s not just about having a reward system—it’s about making it manageable, consistent, and meaningful for both students and teachers.

Getting Started: Simple Tips to Launch Your School Store

These practical tips, inspired by our panelists, can help you build a store that drives engagement without overwhelming your team:

1. Pick a Few Behaviors to Reward

Start by choosing 2–3 behaviors you want to encourage—like being on time, helping a classmate, or staying on task. If your school uses PBIS, these might already be part of your expectations matrix, but it’s okay if you're starting fresh.

2. Start Simple

You only need a few fun rewards to get started. Think small: extra recess, flexible seating for a day, or a ticket to the quarterly dance.

💡 Need ideas? Check out our list of 100+ free or low-cost rewards.

3. Ask for Input

Invite teachers to suggest rewards they’re willing to offer, ask parents or local businesses for donations, and ask students what would get them excited to earn. You don’t have to guess—just ask!

4. Decide When and How Students Can Spend

Choose a consistent time when students can use their school bucks—once a week or once a month is a great place to start.
At Calico Rock, students join a fun monthly auction.
At PVMS, students shop during the first three days of the month, and the Life Skills class delivers rewards to homerooms throughout the month.

⚡ Pro Tip: PVMS also hires students as “Store Clerks” to help manage the store—building leadership skills while saving teachers time. Learn how to set up student jobs with ClassBank here.

Ready to launch or level up your school store?

Schedule a demo to see how ClassBank’s Digital PBIS Tools can help you build a schoolwide reward system that’s engaging, student-led, and easy to manage.

‍