Can you explain the difference between a standard Drupal download and newschoolyard's system?

An important distinction needs to be drawn between a standard installation of Drupal Core (and modules) and an install of newschoolyard's Drupal system. In the case of the former, Drupal Core, selected modules, and a design theme are freely downloadable from Drupal.org. Assuming site content is ready to go, a new Drupal site can be up and running quickly. We think this is fantastic, but this is the starting point for newschoolyard rather than the end point. We started with the Drupal Core, and augmented it with a number of modules from among the thousands available that we believe are especially well-suited for independent schools. We spent the past year building a system with these tools that reflects the practices, and accommodates the needs, of various user groups within schools. This system is elegant, intuitive, accessible, and scalable. Whereas the original Drupal download is free to us, we are making a substantial and ongoing investment into tailoring from this foundation a unique and robust system for schools. This is a work in progress, indeed it will always be a work in progress. As members of the Drupal community, including newschoolyard, contribute to Drupal, we will be assessing and implementing these contributions for the benefit of our clients.