C#  

Building a School Administration Solution with C# 14 and .NET 9

Introduction

Modern schools require robust digital platforms to manage students, staff, schedules, grades, attendance, and communication. With the release of C# 14 and .NET 9, developers now have access to cutting-edge language features and performance enhancements that are ideal for building modular, scalable, and maintainable enterprise-level solutions.

This article explores how to build a School Administration System using C# 14 and .NET 9, highlighting key language improvements and architectural patterns suitable for education management platforms.

Why Use C# 14 and .NET 9?
 

Key Features in C# 14

  • Primary constructors in classes and structs.
  • Field and auto-property initializers in primary constructors.
  • Extension members in interfaces.
  • Collection expressions for concise collection creation.

Key Improvements in .NET 9

  • Performance optimizations across the runtime and ASP.NET Core.
  • Minimal API enhancements.
  • Native AOT support.
  • Improved diagnostics and observability tools.

These features make development faster, cleaner, and more scalable, crucial for enterprise applications like school administration.

Use Case Overview: School Administration System

A School Administration System typically includes.

  • Student Information Management.
  • Class Schedules and Timetables.
  • Attendance Tracking.
  • Gradebook and Report Cards.
  • Teacher and Staff Management.
  • Parent Communication Portals.

We'll implement the core backend components using ASP.NET Core 9 APIs and C# 14 language features.

Project Setup

Step 1. Create the Project.

dotnet new webapi -n SchoolAdminAPI
cd SchoolAdminAPI

Step 2. Enable C# 14 and .NET 9.

Ensure your csproj targets .NET 9.0 and enables preview language features:

<PropertyGroup>
  <TargetFramework>net9.0</TargetFramework>
  <LangVersion>preview</LangVersion>
</PropertyGroup>

Core Domain Model Using C# 14

Example: Student Record.

public class Student(string id, string firstName, string lastName)
{
    public string Id { get; } = id;
    public string FirstName { get; } = firstName;
    public string LastName { get; } = lastName;
    public List<AttendanceRecord> AttendanceRecords { get; set; } = [];
    public List<GradeEntry> Grades { get; set; } = [];
    public string FullName => $"{FirstName} {LastName}";
}
  • The primary constructor simplifies boilerplate.
  • Collection expressions ([]) are used for initialization.

Supporting Models

public record AttendanceRecord(DateTime Date, bool Present);
public record GradeEntry(string Subject, double Score);

Service Layer with Extension Members

public interface IStudentService
{
    Student? GetById(string id);
    void Add(Student student);
    static List<Student> Students { get; } = new();
    Student? IStudentService.GetById(string id) =>
        IStudentService.Students.FirstOrDefault(s => s.Id == id);

    void IStudentService.Add(Student student) =>
        IStudentService.Students.Add(student);
}
  • Demonstrates extension members in interfaces
  • Encapsulates static shared logic within the interface itself

Minimal API for Student Management

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
var app = builder.Build();
var studentService = new IStudentService { };
app.MapGet("/students/{id}", (string id) =>
{
    return studentService.GetById(id);
});
app.MapPost("/students", (Student student) =>
{
    studentService.Add(student);
    return Results.Created($"/students/{student.Id}", student);
});
app.Run();

This minimal API pattern makes full use of .NET 9’s streamlined routing and works perfectly with C# 14’s expressive object syntax.

Advanced Features: Timetable and Attendance

Timetable Model with Primary Constructor and Validation.

public class Timetable
{
    public Timetable(string id, Dictionary<string, List<string>> weeklySchedule)
    {
        Id = id;
        WeeklySchedule = weeklySchedule ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(weeklySchedule));
    }
    public string Id { get; }
    public Dictionary<string, List<string>> WeeklySchedule { get; }
}

Attendance Recording Endpoint.

app.MapPost("/attendance/{id}", (string id, AttendanceRecord record) =>
{
    var student = studentService.GetById(id);   
    if (student is null)
        return Results.NotFound();

    student.AttendanceRecords.Add(record);
    return Results.Ok(student);
});

Future Enhancements

  • Integrate authentication with OpenID Connect for staff/parent login.
  • Store data using MongoDB or SQL Server via EF Core.
  • Add gRPC services for integration with mobile apps.
  • Use SignalR for real-time attendance updates.

Conclusion

C# 14 and .NET 9 empower developers to build cleaner, faster, and more modular applications. With features like primary constructors, extension members, and collection expressions, you can reduce boilerplate and focus on domain logic.

A School Administration System built on this stack can be robust, scalable, and ready for integration with modern cloud-native tools, making it an excellent solution for digital transformation in education.

Membership not found