Focus School Software
Focus School Software is a privately held K-12 education technology company that provides an integrated Student Information System, ERP, and add-on modules to U.S. school districts, serving more than 3.7 million students across 14 states from its St. Petersburg, Florida headquarters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersSt. Petersburg, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Focus School Software does
Focus School Software is a privately held K-12 education technology company founded in 2006 and headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company develops and sells an integrated Student Information System (SIS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and a suite of add-on modules covering communications, special student services, assessments, analytics, document management, before/after-care, hall pass, and attendance/tardy solutions. Its technology is built on a conventional 3-tier SQL architecture with OneRoster and EdFi certifications, hosted either on customer-owned servers or on AWS under a Well Architected Solution certification. The platform serves more than 3.7 million students across 14 states, including five of the largest districts in the United States and three-fourths of all Florida school districts; client size ranges from a few hundred students to over 200,000 students.
The company generates revenue primarily through subscription-based licensing of its SIS and ERP modules, priced per student population or per module, supplemented by professional services (implementation, data migration, training) and ancillary hardware sales (a $569 Focus Kiosk and $329 Focus Mobile Scanner). Distribution is carried out through direct enterprise field sales augmented by cooperative purchasing partnerships (edtechjpa, ESC19, ESC18, PAEC, Choice Partners), direct state contracts, and an annual Users' Conference ecosystem (now in its 18th year) plus state-specific user conferences. The leadership team of 12 senior executives reports to founder and CEO Andrew Schmadeke; the company employs approximately 180 professionals and operates without disclosed external funding or institutional investors, indicating a bootstrapped, founder-led operating model.
Focus School Software firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Focus School Software
- Legal name
- Focus School Software LLC
- Website
- https://focusschoolsoftware.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Focus School Software is a privately held K-12 education technology company that provides an integrated Student Information System, ERP, and add-on modules to U.S. school districts, serving more than 3.7 million students across 14 states from its St. Petersburg, Florida headquarters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Focus School Software industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Student Information Systems
- 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
- HR, Payroll, Time & Attendance for Education (EDAFAEAD), Special Education (IEP/504) & Student Support Case Management (EDAFAEAI), Attendance, Scheduling, Timetabling & Calendar Management (EDAFAEAF), Billing, Tuition, Fees & Payments (including Cafeteria/Meal Accounts) (EDAFAEAN), Gradebook, Transcripts, Credits & Academic Records Management (EDAFAEAG), Compliance, State Reporting & Education Data Exchange (Ed-Fi/SIF) (EDAFAEAO), Education ERP (Student Information, Finance, HR) (HDAEAEAI)
Keywords
Where Focus School Software is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St. Petersburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Focus School Software business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Subscriptions (SIS/ERP): Focus School Software generates revenue primarily through subscription-based licensing of their K-12 SIS, ERP, and additional modules. The system is licensed to districts with pricing based on student population or module selection. The integrated nature of the platform encourages adoption of multiple modules.
- Hardware Sales: Sale of attendance hardware including Focus Kiosk ($569.00) and Focus Mobile Scanner ($329.00 + $14.00 shipping). Hardware includes 1-year limited warranty.
- Professional Services: Implementation services including project management, data migration, training, and configuration. The company emphasizes 100% implementation success rate with dedicated project teams including project managers, data conversion specialists, training specialists, and technical services.
- Communication Add-on Module: Additional revenue stream from the Communications Module which includes SMS messaging, translations, and advanced communication features as an add-on to the base SIS.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Focus Kiosk hardware |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Focus Mobile Scanner hardware |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Annual Focus Users' Conference |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | PA Users' Conference |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Focus School Software product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Focus School Software develops and licenses a fully integrated K-12 Student Information System (SIS) and ERP platform for public and private school districts. The platform unifies student data management (enrollment, scheduling, attendance, gradebook, discipline, health), finance/HR/payroll, communications, assessments, analytics, and special student services through a single login, single interface, and single database. Additional offerings include CTE/Adult Ed SIS, attendance hardware, and AWS-hosted cloud infrastructure for districts across 14+ U.S. states.
Product overview
Focus School Software offers a comprehensive K-12 education management platform with a modular, fully integrated architecture. The flagship K-12 Student Information System (SIS) serves as the core platform, complemented by specialized solutions including CTE/Adult Ed SIS, Finance/HR/Payroll (ERP) system, and a suite of add-on modules including Communications, Special Student Services, Document Management, Before & After-Care, Hall Pass, Assessments, Analytics, and Attendance/Tardy Solutions. All modules connect from a single login, single interface, and single database, running on SQL with 3-tier architecture hosted on AWS cloud. The platform serves districts from hundreds to 200,000+ students across 14+ states.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- K-12 Student Information System (SIS)
- CTE/Adult Ed Student Information System
- Finance, HR & Payroll (ERP)
- Communications Module
- Special Student Services
- Document Management
- Before & After-Care Solution
- Hall Pass
- Assessments Module
- Analytics & Dashboards
- Attendance & Tardy Solutions
- Focus Attendance Kiosk (Hardware)
- Focus Attendance Scanner (Hardware)
- Cloud Hosting (AWS)
- Implementation & Professional Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Serving 3,700,000+ students across 14 states
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Focus School Software
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Focus School Software technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration52 records
Feature7 records
Focus School Software partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreFocus School Software is an Amazon-certified 'Well Architected Solution' and an official AWS Partner Network (APN) partner in good standing. AWS provides cloud hosting infrastructure for Focus solutions.
- Ed-Fi AlliancecoreFocus is Ed-Fi certified, supporting data interoperability standards in K-12 education.
- edtechjpacoreEducational Technology Joint Purchase Alliance cooperative purchasing organization. Focus collaborates through co-ops and consortiums to extend reach to member districts.
- ESC Region 19 (Texas)regionalEducation Service Center Region 19 cooperative purchasing partner for Texas districts.
- ESC Region 18 (Texas)regionalEducation Service Center Region 18 cooperative purchasing partner for Texas districts.
- PAEC (Florida)regionalPanhandle Area Educational Cooperative purchasing partner serving Florida districts.
- Choice PartnersregionalCooperative purchasing consortium with Focus School Software listed as an approved vendor.
- Curriculum & LMS IntegrationscoreIntegrated with Microsoft OneNote, Think Central, Google Apps for Education, Canvas, Blackboard, and other leading curriculum and learning management systems.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Focus School Software competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Frontline Education: Broad K-12 administration platform covering HR, professional development, and student management. Adjacent competitor to Focus's ERP and SIS modules, frequently seen alongside or replacing SIS incumbents in districts.
- Tyler Technologies: Large public-sector software provider with a K-12 SIS product line (formerly Munis, Tyler's school ERP). Competes with Focus in the ERP/finance/HR portion of the stack, especially among larger districts seeking public-company-grade vendors.
Direct peers
- Infinite Campus: Privately held K-12 SIS competitor serving districts nationwide with a unified SIS platform. Competes directly with Focus for district-level contracts, particularly in states adjacent to Focus's footprint.
- Skyward: Established K-12 SIS/ERP vendor recently acquired by PowerSchool. Focus has actively displaced Skyward in mid-market deals (e.g., Moon Area SD, Oneida Special SD), making it one of Focus's most direct head-to-head competitors.
- Aeries Software: California-headquartered K-12 SIS vendor known for its student information system used widely by California districts. Similar mid-market integrated SIS positioning to Focus, making it a close peer in product and go-to-market.
- Powerschool Unified Classroom (now part of PowerSchool): PowerSchool's broader learning/analytics/communications suite. Competes with Focus's add-on modules (Analytics, Communications, Assessments) within districts that have standardized on PowerSchool SIS.
- Edupoint Educational Systems (Synergy): Provider of the Synergy Education Platform, an integrated SIS/ERP for K-12 districts. Targets a similar customer profile (mid-to-large districts) and competes with Focus for SIS-plus-ERP replacement deals.
- PowerSchool: Largest K-12 SIS provider in North America; offers a unified K-12 platform spanning SIS, learning, assessment, and analytics. Direct competitor to Focus's core SIS and ERP, with much greater scale and a broader state footprint.
Others
- Schoology / Canvas (Instructure): Leading LMS providers that integrate with Focus but are not direct SIS competitors. Relevant as ecosystem partners and as competitive context for the Assessment and Communication modules in districts.
Emerging players
- Gradelink: Cloud-based SIS focused on private and smaller K-12 schools. While smaller and more niche than Focus, it competes for the lower end of the K-12 SIS market with a similar subscription, integrated-platform model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Focus School Software social profiles
Digital presenceFocus School Software compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Focus School Software financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Focus School Software leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Focus School Software funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Focus School Software 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 Focus School Software
What does Focus School Software do?
Focus School Software develops and licenses a fully integrated K-12 Student Information System (SIS) and ERP platform for public and private school districts. The platform unifies student data management (enrollment, scheduling, attendance, gradebook, discipline, health), finance/HR/payroll, communications, assessments, analytics, and special student services through a single login, single interface, and single database. Additional offerings include CTE/Adult Ed SIS, attendance hardware, and AWS-hosted cloud infrastructure for districts across 14+ U.S. states.
Is Focus School Software a public or private company?
Focus School Software is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Focus School Software founded?
Focus School Software was founded in 2006. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Focus School Software based?
Focus School Software is headquartered in St. Petersburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does Focus School Software make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Subscriptions (SIS/ERP) is the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales, professional Services and communication Add-on Module.
Who are Focus School Software's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Frontline Education and Tyler Technologies. Direct peers are Infinite Campus, Skyward, Aeries Software, Powerschool Unified Classroom (now part of PowerSchool), Edupoint Educational Systems (Synergy) and PowerSchool. Schoology / Canvas (Instructure) is listed as an others. Gradelink is listed as an emerging player.
Does Focus School Software have an API?
Yes. Focus School Software supports API calls and built-in Manage Integrations tools for seamless integrations with third-party systems. The platform is OneRoster and EdFi certified. It also provides secure FTP file and batch processing as integration methods.
What industry is Focus School Software in?
Focus School Software's product category is K-12 Student Information Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAEAA, K–12 SIS & District Administration Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAFAEAD, HR, Payroll, Time & Attendance for Education. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 7372.