Skyward
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersStevens Point, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Skyward firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Skyward
- Legal name
- Skyward, Inc.
- Website
- https://skyward.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Skyward industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Education Management Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 SIS & District Administration Platforms (EDAFAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education ERP (Student Information, Finance, HR) (HDAEAEAI), Compliance, State Reporting & Education Data Exchange (Ed-Fi/SIF) (EDAFAEAO), HR, Payroll, Time & Attendance for Education (EDAFAEAD), Attendance, Scheduling, Timetabling & Calendar Management (EDAFAEAF)
Keywords
Where Skyward is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stevens Point
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Skyward business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- K-12 SIS Software Licenses/Subscriptions: Annual licensing fees for Student Information System software to K-12 school districts, typically as multi-year contracts
- K-12 ERP Software Licenses/Subscriptions: Annual licensing fees for Enterprise Resource Planning (Finance, HR, Payroll) software to K-12 school districts
- Professional Services & Implementation: Implementation, training, and support services to help districts adopt and optimize Skyward solutions
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Qmlativ (Next-gen platform) |
| Subscription | Annual | SMS 2.0 (Legacy platform) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels11 records
Skyward product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Skyward provides cloud-based K-12 education management software combining Student Information System (SIS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) capabilities for school districts. The Qmlativ next-generation platform and legacy SMS 2.0 platform deliver integrated student data management (enrollment, grades, attendance, scheduling, family engagement) with business operations (HR, payroll, fiscal management, asset tracking). Supporting services include DistrictPulse analytics, Professional Development Center training, IT services, implementation, and state/federal compliance reporting.
Product overview
Skyward is a K-12 education software company offering a comprehensive portfolio of student information and business management solutions. The company provides two main platforms: Qmlativ (next-generation) and SMS 2.0 (legacy). The K-12 Student Information System (SIS) covers classroom tools, family engagement, student services, and office administration. The K-12 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite includes human resources, fiscal management, payroll & timeclock, employee portal, and asset management modules. Supporting services include the Professional Development Center, Skyward Academy, Help Center/SkyDoc, Skyward Community, IT Services, and the Trust Center. Recent additions include DistrictPulse (AWS-powered analytics) and VirtuaTime (time tracking). The product architecture supports over 2,500 school districts with interoperability as a core design principle.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SMS 2.0: School Management Suite 2.0 - legacy student information system platform
- DistrictPulse
- VirtuaTime
- Family Access
- Employee Access
- SkyBuild
- Skylert
- SchoolTRAK
Quantifiable outcome
- Districts can operate with fewer administrative employees - Rapid City Area Schools noted they would need 5-6 separate systems without Skyward
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Skyward
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Skyward technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability3 records
Feature7 records
Skyward partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Bentek, LLCcoreEnhanced integration between Skyward's SMS 2.0 and Qmlativ ERP solutions with Bentek's benefits administration platform. Enables bidirectional data synchronization for school district HR departments, eliminating duplicate data entry, reducing administrative errors, and saving time for benefits management workflows.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)flagshipCo-developed DistrictPulse, a K-12 data analytics tool powered by AWS. DistrictPulse transforms district data into actionable visualizations and insights, representing Skyward's flagship analytics initiative.
- Ed-Fi AlliancecoreQmlativ is Ed-Fi Certified through the Ed-Fi Alliance with API v4 certification, supporting data interoperability standards across K-12 education technology ecosystem.
- Google for EducationcorePartnership to build grade export integration between Google Classroom and Skyward's Gradebook, enabling seamless data flow for districts using both platforms.
- Amazon BusinessminorE-commerce partnership allowing Skyward districts to streamline purchasing and requisitions through Amazon Business integration.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Skyward competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Frontline Education: Frontline Education is a K-12-focused software provider with HR, recruiting, professional development, and operations tools that overlap Skyward's ERP, payroll, and HR modules. It competes for district operational software budgets and is a frequent adjacent vendor.
- Blackbaud: Blackbaud serves K-12 private/independent schools with SIS, tuition management, and ERP functionality overlapping parts of Skyward's portfolio. It is named alongside Skyward in SIS market reports and competes most directly in private school segments.
- Illuminate Education: Illuminate Education provides K-12 student information, assessment, and data analytics solutions that overlap Skyward's SIS and DistrictPulse offerings. It is an established incumbent in K-12 data and analytics categories.
- Tyler Technologies (Tyler SIS): Tyler Technologies is a large public-sector software provider whose K-12 SIS and student transportation offerings overlap with Skyward's SIS and ERP modules. Tyler competes primarily via its broader public-sector suite and government procurement relationships.
Emerging players
- Aequitas Solutions: Aequitas Solutions provides cloud-based SIS solutions for K-12 districts and is frequently cited alongside Skyward in K-12 SIS market reports. It competes in similar procurement processes, especially for districts seeking modern cloud-native alternatives.
- Gradelink: Gradelink is a cloud-based SIS primarily serving private and smaller K-12 schools. While smaller in scale than Skyward, it competes in adjacent SIS segments and represents the type of cloud-native challenger district customers may evaluate.
Direct peers
- PowerSchool: PowerSchool is the leading K-12 SIS and unified classroom vendor in North America, serving school districts with student information, learning, and operations software. It is Skyward's largest direct competitor and the market-share leader in K-12 SIS.
- Infinite Campus: Infinite Campus provides a K-12 SIS platform used by thousands of US school districts for student management, grading, attendance, and state reporting. It is repeatedly named alongside Skyward as a top K-12 SIS player with overlapping product, customer, and procurement dynamics.
- Edupoint Educational Systems (Synergy): Edupoint's Synergy Education Platform is a K-12 SIS plus HR/Finance/Payroll suite serving US school districts with functionality similar to Skyward's Qmlativ. It is a direct head-to-head competitor in mid-size and larger district RFPs.
Others
- Renaissance Learning (Freckle, Accelerated Reader, etc.): Renaissance provides K-12 assessment, literacy, and analytics tools that are often sold alongside SIS platforms. It is not a direct SIS competitor but is a frequent ecosystem partner and adjacent procurement decision for Skyward's district customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Skyward social profiles
Digital presenceSkyward compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Skyward financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skyward leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Skyward funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skyward M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Skyward
What does Skyward do?
Skyward provides cloud-based K-12 education management software combining Student Information System (SIS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) capabilities for school districts. The Qmlativ next-generation platform and legacy SMS 2.0 platform deliver integrated student data management (enrollment, grades, attendance, scheduling, family engagement) with business operations (HR, payroll, fiscal management, asset tracking). Supporting services include DistrictPulse analytics, Professional Development Center training, IT services, implementation, and state/federal compliance reporting.
Is Skyward a public or private company?
Skyward is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Skyward founded?
Skyward was founded in 1980. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Skyward based?
Skyward is headquartered in Stevens Point, United States, in the North America region.
How does Skyward make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. K-12 SIS Software Licenses/Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are K-12 ERP Software Licenses/Subscriptions and professional Services & Implementation.
Who are Skyward's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Frontline Education, Blackbaud, Illuminate Education and Tyler Technologies (Tyler SIS). Emerging players are Aequitas Solutions and Gradelink. Direct peers are PowerSchool, Infinite Campus and Edupoint Educational Systems (Synergy). Renaissance Learning (Freckle, Accelerated Reader, etc.) is listed as an others.
Does Skyward have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skyward.
What industry is Skyward in?
Skyward's product category is K-12 Education Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAEAA, K–12 SIS & District Administration Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAEAEAI, Education ERP (Student Information, Finance, HR). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 7372.