If a student has a duplicate account or is placed in the wrong family unit, follow the steps below. This ensures student profiles are properly linked for accurate billing, communication, and reporting.
Merging a Duplicate Student Profile
A duplicate student means the same student was added to Playground twice. Admins can now find and merge duplicate records directly.
Two student records are flagged as duplicates when their first name, last name, and date of birth all match.
Where Duplicates Appear
Playground surfaces duplicate alerts in three places:
Your Updates on the Students tab
💡 If you don't see this row, Playground hasn't flagged any duplicate students for your school right now.
The row menu on a student's record
The student's Settings tab, under the Account section
How to Merge
Open a duplicate alert from any of the locations above.
The merge screen displays both records side by side.
Select which record to keep.
All data from the deleted record—notes, documents, payments, charges, forms, immunizations, subsidies, applications, programs, schedules, and feed posts—moves onto the kept record.
Click Merge accounts to complete the merging process.
🚨 This step can't be undone. The duplicate profile is combined into the profile you kept and removed from the list. You'll see a confirmation message: "[Student name] was successfully merged."
Ignoring a Duplicate
If you don't want to merge right now:
Navigate to your My School -> Students tab.
Click View next to the found duplicates under the Your updates section.
Select Ignore next to the duplicate you want to ignore.
💡 The duplicate remains accessible from the student's Settings tab if needed.
Move Students Into The Same Family
If siblings are listed under separate families, you can move them into the same family by following the instructions below.
From your My School -> Students tab, click on the student you want to move.
Navigate to their Settings tab.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Move under the Account section.
Search for the student or guardian name that you want to move the student to.
Select their name from the drop-down menu
If a student is the only one listed in a family, their original family will be removed after they are moved into their new family.
Once you select a student or guardian, any other students and guardians will be listed so you can see the other family members.
Click the blue Next: Review changes button in the right-hand corner to proceed.
Review the changes, including what will and won't be moved to the new family, and select Confirm & move student to finish the process.
Guardians and siblings from the previous family won't be moved with the student.
Once the student is merged, their guardians and siblings will be listed on their Overview tab under the Family section.
💡 At any point during this process, you can view which student you are moving and which step you are on on the right-hand side of your screen.
FAQs
Will merging a duplicate student profile delete any of their information?
Will merging a duplicate student profile delete any of their information?
No. Merging is different from deleting a profile outright. When you merge, Playground combines the duplicate's records, like paperwork, siblings, and guardians, into the profile you keep, and shows you a count of items being combined before you confirm.
What happens to guardians when I merge duplicate student profiles?
What happens to guardians when I merge duplicate student profiles?
If both duplicate accounts share the same guardians, Playground merges those guardian records automatically — you won't need to do anything. If the duplicate has guardians who aren't already attached to the profile you're keeping, you'll see a checkbox in the merge window letting you add them to the merged family, along with an info icon showing their names and emails so you can confirm before adding them.
I clicked Ignore on a duplicate by mistake — can I still merge it?
I clicked Ignore on a duplicate by mistake — can I still merge it?
Yes. Open the student's profile, click the Settings tab, and scroll to the Account section — you'll still see the Merge student option there as long as a duplicate exists.
Who is able to merge duplicate student profiles?
Who is able to merge duplicate student profiles?
Only program admins can review and merge duplicate students. Families/guardians don't have access to this feature — if a family member notices a duplicate profile for their child, they'll need to let your school's admin team know so an admin can merge it.
Why don't I have the option to merge students?
Why don't I have the option to merge students?
If you don't have the option to merge students, the names and birthdays on their profiles most likely don't match. You will want to edit their first and last names, as well as their birthdays, to make sure they completely match.