“Our phone system is old, failing, or nobody knows how it works.”
Parts are hard to find, support is ending, and one person holds it all together. We’ll help you plan a calm switch, or get you calling again fast if it’s already down.
Hosted phone service for K-12 and nonprofits
The phone system your IT team actually wants.
Dependable hosted phone service for schools and nonprofits, with real desk phones in classrooms and offices, honest all-in pricing, and engineers who back up your IT team.
Serving K-12 schools and nonprofits since 2016 · Based in Sonoma County, California
Example estimate
$708 /month, all in
Includes about $167 in estimated taxes and government fees
- 33 classroom and hallway phones $9.98 each $329.34
- 9 office lines $12.46 each, with voicemail and a direct number $112.14
- Calling 1 incoming + 1 outgoing channel, plus extra minutes $61.28
- Account and IT admin service fee and 1 admin with direct support $19.98
- Voicemail, numbers, 911, fax and paging shared boxes, main lines, 1 location $17.93
- Estimated taxes and feesFederal USF and California surcharges, itemized $167.41
Not-to-exceed for the board: $9,600/year
- Serving K-12 and nonprofits since 2016
- Datacenters East, Central and West
- All support in the USA
- No long-term contract
Why people call us
The two reasons people usually call us
“We’re comparing quotes and they don’t line up.”
Some quotes leave taxes and per-line fees out of the advertised price. Build an honest estimate and compare any quote using your own numbers.
Usage-based, itemized pricing
Pay for phones, not seats.
You pay for what you use: phones, numbers, voicemail boxes and calling. A classroom phone is $9.98 a month (phone + extension, before taxes). Calling capacity is shared, and our estimator picks the cheapest mix for you. Taxes and government fees are shown up front.
- Classroom or hallway phone $9.98/mo Phone + extension. Add voicemail for $0.99.
- Office line $12.46/mo Phone, extension, voicemail and a direct number.
- Shared calling From $0 Pay per minute, or a few channels with unlimited minutes each. We pick the cheaper.
Built for IT
You keep the keys. We do the low-level engineering.
- A full admin portal, plus a simpler app for everyday changes
- Every feature in the portal is also available through our API
- Zero-touch setup for Yealink desk phones; Poly and other brands through DHCP options
- Call flows as detailed as your school day
- Our engineers support your IT admins directly
Pylon is a phone system for IT teams to run. Your team manages your network and your users; we run the phone service and back up your admins. See the network requirements.
- Call to the main number
- Schedule checkSchool hours, holidays and breaks
- Open Menu“Press 1 for attendance, 2 for the front office…”
- Attendance lineVoicemail emailed to the attendance clerk
- Front office ring group3 desks ring, then shared voicemail
- Closed After-hours messageHours, emergency info, then voicemail
- Open Menu“Press 1 for attendance, 2 for the front office…”
- Schedule checkSchool hours, holidays and breaks
Made for schools and nonprofits
Made for how schools and nonprofits work.
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Real desk phones
In classrooms, offices and the front desk, not just apps on laptops.
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Paging and announcements
Connect overhead paging through SIP paging hardware. We’ll recommend models.
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911 locations to the room
The address plus building, floor and room, so responders know where to go.
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Usually a one-day switch
We routinely move schools in a day, often during school hours, with minimal disruption.
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Paperwork boards approve
An itemized estimate with a not-to-exceed amount your board can sign off on.
How it works
From first estimate to a calm cutover
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Build your estimate
About 3 minutes, no sign-up. See every line, with taxes and fees estimated.
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Share it with your team
We email one thread to you and the colleagues you add (IT, leadership, finance), so everyone starts with the same facts.
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Approve it your way
Board-ready paperwork. Sign online, in your own system, or with a purchase order.
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Switch in a day
We move your numbers and cut over on your schedule. Set up and install it yourselves, or have us do it.
Modern, and supported in the USA
All of our support is in the USA, and your admins reach engineers who know the system. The platform keeps improving with regular feature releases, and runs in datacenters across the US.
Reliable, and serious about 911
Datacenters on the East Coast, in the Central US and on the West Coast, with failover. 911 calls carry the location you set, down to the room, and we test 911 with you during installation.
How is Pylon priced?
Itemized and usage-based. You pay for phones, extensions, numbers, voicemail boxes and calling. There's no seat license, so a classroom phone doesn't cost as much as a staff line. See Pricing.
Are taxes included?
No. Government taxes and fees are added on top, as with most phone services. We show you an itemized estimate up front, and your invoice lists every line. Public agencies are often exempt from local utility taxes; bring your exemption certificate.
Can we keep our phone numbers?
Yes. We transfer (port) your numbers, and your old service stays on until the move is complete. Our guide explains how porting works.
Who do we call for help?
Your IT admins reach our engineers directly during business hours, and critical support is available 24/7/365 for outages. All support is in the USA. We support the people who manage the system (your IT staff or your IT provider), so they stay in control.
Do you manage our network?
No. Your IT team, or your IT provider, manages your network: cabling, switches and power, VLANs, DHCP, DNS, the firewall, Wi-Fi and your internet service. We check the essentials with you during planning and tell you what we see from our side. See the network requirements.
Is there a contract?
There's no long-term commitment. Either side can end service with 30 days' notice. Read the summary of our standard agreement.
See your honest monthly total in about 3 minutes.
No sign-up needed. Taxes and fees are estimated up front, and you can share the estimate with your team in one email thread.