PowerSchool SIS
PowerSchool SIS is a student information system for school records and operations, with tools for attendance, grades, fees, families, and student support.
What PowerSchool SIS is
PowerSchool SIS is a student information system for school records and operations, with tools for attendance, grades, fees, families, and student support. Schools can use attendance tracking and a gradebook alongside a parent portal and fee management. For students receiving special education or other support, it includes IEP support, accommodation tracking, goal progress monitoring, and service logging. Compliance reporting is also included. The system is deployed on the web and is available through web, Android, and iOS. PowerSchool is headquartered in Folsom, California, United States, and was founded in 1997. The product is paid, with pricing available on request. Its capabilities bring academic records, family access, fee administration, and support documentation into one system; schools can consider whether that coverage matches their needs before requesting pricing.
Good
- Tracks attendance and grades
- Includes parent portal and fee management
- Supports IEPs and accommodations
- Monitors goals and logs services
- Provides compliance reporting
Watch out
- Paid product
- Pricing requires a request
Who it suits
It suits schools seeking one system for attendance, grades, family access, fees, and student-support records. Its IEP, accommodation, service, and compliance tools may be relevant to schools documenting specialized support.
Verdict
PowerSchool SIS covers core school records alongside fees and student-support documentation. Schools should request pricing and weigh the listed tools against their operational needs.
Plans and prices
From PowerSchool SIS's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| PowerSchool SIS starting price | Priced on request | No plan details shown · Flat rate |
| PowerSchool SIS | Priced on request | Subscription pricing; modules, users and customization affect cost · Contact sales for pricing |
The facts
Each one read from PowerSchool SIS's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Acquisition completion
- A Securities and Exchange Commission filing states the Bain Capital merger closed on October 1, 2024.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API
- PowerSchool SIS lists a PowerSchool API and supports third-party integration capabilities.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API documentation access
- PowerSchool's developer portal redirects to a customer support login, indicating developer documentation is access-controlled.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Attendance and scheduling
- The product provides established attendance workflows and flexible scheduling processes.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Canvas integration
- Canvas uses PowerSchool's OneRoster 1.1 API for nightly roster provisioning and grade passback.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Canvas integration limitation
- The Canvas integration documentation says parent accounts cannot be created through PowerSchool provisioning.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Compliance reporting
- PowerSchool supplies prebuilt state and provincial reports and lets users create additional reports.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Configurable data model
- Administrators can add fields and pages, extend tables and configure scheduling, attendance and grading without coding.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Ecollect Forms
- Ecollect Forms is built into PowerSchool SIS for creating and sharing online K-12 forms with direct field integration.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Gradebook
- PowerTeacher Pro is a web-based gradebook supporting standards-based and traditional grading with configurable grade scales.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Hosting
- PowerSchool offers optional Microsoft Azure hosting for SIS deployments.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- PowerSchool SIS interoperates with PowerSchool products, partner applications, SIF and Ed-Fi initiatives.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- PowerSource copyright language reserves rights to PowerSchool Group LLC and affiliates; no open-source licence is stated.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: integration complexity
- Gartner reviewers report that integrations can require support because options are hidden in deep menus.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: learning curve
- Independent reviews repeatedly report that the feature-rich interface is difficult for new users and requires substantial training.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: usability and performance
- Reviewers mention cumbersome navigation, occasional crashes, glitches, slow page loads and an outdated interface.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Parent and student access
- Parents and students can view grades, progress, assignments, attendance, schedules and school information through portals and the mobile app.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company legal name
- PowerSchool's customer portal copyright identifies PowerSchool Group LLC and affiliates as the operating entity.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company size
- LinkedIn lists PowerSchool as a privately held software company with 1,001–5,000 employees.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Founded
- Gartner Peer Insights lists PowerSchool's founding year as 1997.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- PowerSchool lists 150 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, California as its headquarters.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Owner and acquisition
- Bain Capital agreed in June 2024 to acquire PowerSchool in a transaction valuing it at $5.6 billion.checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Limit: cost and training
- Software Advice reviewers say training can be expensive, while other reviews describe the product and add-ons as costly for smaller districts.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Mobile app
- The PowerSchool Mobile app provides dashboard widgets for GPA, assignments, attendance, bulletins, meal balances and fees.checked 15 Oct 2026
Alternatives to PowerSchool SIS
- 1
RosarioSIS
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWebAPI8.6Free plan - 2
ThinkWave
Free planAndroidiOSWebLinux8.2Free plan - 3
feKara
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.0From $75 a year - 4
Gibbon
Free planOpen sourceWebLinuxmacOSSelf-hosted7.7Free plan - 5
Gradelink
Free planAndroidiOSWebmacOS7.6From $106 a month - 6
CircleUp
Free planiOSWeb7.3From $23 a month