Grassroot Islamic educational institutions in rural areas face significant managerial challenges. Pondok Pesantren Miftahul Huda in Pati strives to enhance the academic monitoring and reporting efficiency of students that so far is still relying on traditional paper-based mechanism. TPA Raudlatus Sholihin in Sragen is dealing with limited face-to-face contact time that lasts only one hour every day and disproportionate teacher-student ratio. This study reports the design and early deployment of an educational digitalization project in both locations, with a planned Flipped Classroom application and digital reporting mechanism. This project faced technical and psychological resistance initially. App-store-based distribution was hampered by unstable internet connection and limited users’ device storage. APK distribution through messaging app WhatsApp also faced the same technical resistance as well as psychological resistance from users who worried about malware. During the APK distribution at the pesantren on 6–18 July, 68 of 148 parents (45.9%) submitted data; installation status and reasons for non-submission were not confirmed. Development shifted to a web-based approach on 19 July, and the application became an installable Progressive Web App (PWA) on 6 August. The Next.js-based design uses an offline-first approach intended to support selected recording functions during connectivity interruptions. Development continues in response to educator and parent feedback. These initial observations inform the design, while improvements in participation, usability, synchronization reliability, and educational outcomes require further evaluation.