Anyone who has a smartphone can now carry Fairfield City Schools in their pocket.

The school district has become one of the first in the area to offer a smartphone app, now available in both the Apple App store and in the Android Market.

The app cost $3,000 to develop, according to Gina Gentry-Fletcher, the district’s spokeswoman. It will cost $300 annually in maintenance fees, she said.

The free app includes news updates that can be delivered through push notifications, contact information for each school in the district, the school’s Twitter feed, a calendar of events, school lunch menus, a staff directory and a community message board.

Much of this information is already on the district’s website, and some of the links take the user directly to the website. However, the app is a way for the district to capitalize on the growing use of smartphones, Gentry-Fletcher said.

“A lot of people have smartphones, and that’s where we’re heading. It’s such a tech-savvy world we live in, so what better way to keep up with your child’s school district than with an app like this?” she said.

Fairfield is one of the first school districts in the area to commission an app. Loveland City Schools, which also used Columbus-based Allerton Hill Consulting, is the only other public school district in the area with an app, said Joel Gagne, a spokesman for the company.

“Apps are an inexpensive alternative that works for schools. You need something built for smartphone technology, because a lot more people have been using apps within the last five years,” Gagne said.