All Skyward Student Management Suite Reviews
1-25 of 148 Reviews
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Natalie
Education Management, 51 - 200 employees
Used more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
Reviewed January 2022
Excellent Education Management Tool
Karee
Education Management, 201-500 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed June 2021
Skyward - great for attendance, everything else is just ok.
Overall, it works for what we need it at our school (an attendance management system and to keep track of class rosters). However, I think it is unfortunate we can't use more of it's capabilities and that we use so many different systems instead of it all being streamlined into one. I wish being able to toggle how to print and see attendance and class data was easier and more intuitive.
PROSOur school mostly uses this for class rosters and tracking attendance. For those purposes, it works really quite well. Tracking attendance is quick and easy, you can go in and mark students as absent or present or tardy. You can also click "all here". You can add in health notes about students and other important things we need to know as teachers.
CONSThe other features we don't use because they aren't good (e.g. the grade book) and we use it with schoology instead as it links with assignments that can be turned in. However, I really wish we could streamline it and use all one program for everything (learning management system, grade book, attendance, etc.) or that they all connected. Also, while the class rosters and schedules work and can be printed, it is not intuitive how to do so. They are not displayed well or functional for how I'd like to use them. While I like I can go in and see student notes and data, you have to click on students individually which sometimes is difficult.
Vendor Response
Karee, There are so many things schools can do with Skyward that it can seem overwhelming at times. We recently wrote this article (https://www.skyward.com/discover/insider/november-2019/10-things-every-teacher-should-know-in-skyward) to help teachers get comfortable with some of the basics. In addition, we recommend checking out the Skyward Academy free webinars or attending a user group to increase your knowledge of Skyward. Thanks for your feedback and have a great summer.
Replied June 2021
Teresa
Education Management, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed January 2017
Skyward review
This is my district's 7th year using Skyward. I am the counseling secretary in our high school and work in Student Management. I am also a security manager for our district. Honestly, when we made the transition to Skyward I was very unhappy. I didn't find Skyward to be very user friendly and I wasn't pleased with the customer support response time. Oftentimes I was unable to find a way to make Skyward do what I needed. However, as the years have passed, Skyward has made improvements to the program, I have learned the system better and the customer support live chat option is a huge timesaver. Now, I really enjoy using Skyward. I have the dubious distinction of being our district's "Skyward guru" and I believe I've learned a lot through exploration in my efforts to assist others. When I can't find answers, I know that help is only a live chat away! I would definitely recommend Skyward to other districts.
PROSPossibly my favorite aspect of Skyward is the ability to dump data directly into Excel. This is a huge timesaver and allows me to manipulate, sort, share and utilize data as needed. I also like the ability to create reports based on my needs using Data Mining.
CONSThere are still a few things that I wish I could do in Skyward, that I can't, such as use activity groups to run certain reports/schedules. Occasionally, we experience what I call "Skyward quirks" when something doesn't work right one day, but it works the next. Recently, our library parapro ran a report and new that the info displayed wasn't wholly accurate. I checked her format and everything was good. I printed it with the same results. I cloned the report, changing nothing, and ran that and it was accurate. The next day her report worked properly again.
Vendor Response
So glad we were able to grow together, Teresa, and turn a negative experience into such a positive one. Thank you for all you do to help your district get more out of Skyward.
Replied January 2017
Cheri
Education Management, 1,001-5,000 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed January 2022
Power Comes with Responsibility
I use mostly the student management modules. I've worked in attendance, discipline, scheduling, substitution, reports cards, fee management, data mining, and health office.
PROSThis is an extremely powerful suite of software. Once you learn the basic interface (which takes quite a while) you can get more and more useful data out of the system.
CONSThe learning curve is steep. I've been using this program for 15 years and am still improving my skills. Many of the reports are hard to read and simply ugly. I shouldn't have to have my tech department use Crystal Reports (which I don't have access to and don't know how to use) to get something that looks professional. It needs to include a publishing tool similar to Microsoft Publisher (NOT Word!) so that I can design things easier. The report designer is terrible. It is cumbersome and not at all intuitive.
Reasons for switching to Skyward Student Management Suite
I changed districts. I very much liked the Mac School program. While its learning curve was also steep, it seemed like it was much more user-friendly and produced much better-looking results. I spent eight years using it and it seemed like I picked it up much faster than I have the Skyward programs.
Vendor Response
Thanks for the review Cheri. Balancing ease of use with product functionality is something we take very seriously. If you haven't already done so, we hope you will consider joining our User Research Panel so you can share your ideas directly with our UX team. For more info, visit www.skyward.com/moreinfo/user-research-panel. Thanks again.
Replied January 2022
Anonymous
51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
3
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2019
A Decent SIS For The Money
Overall the Skyward system lets us do the things we need to do with student data. This information is very invaluable to our district so the system is used heavily. It does what it advertises.
PROSThe Skyward system allows our corporation to enroll and schedule students with ease. The reporting feature has been invaluable to my own job. There are so many facets to this software that you can do just about anything.
CONSThe user interface is somewhat outdated. They released a more web friendly version a while back but it had the same problems. In a world of student information systems though, it is on par with most other ones.
Whitney
Verified reviewer
Education Management, 1 employee
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed December 2019
AMAZING!!!!!!!
I HAVE REALIZED THAT TIMES HAVE CHANGED FOR CHILDREN IN SCHOOL NOW BECAUSE THEY CAN'T TRICK THEIR PARENTS INTO THINKING THAT THEY HAVEN'T RECEIVED THEIR REPORT CARDS BECAUSE OF THE SKYWARD SCHOOL MANAGEMENT APP.
PROSI LOVE THAT SCHOOLS OFFER SKYWARD TO PARENT SO THAT THEY CAN KEEP UP WITH THEIR CHILDREN'S HOMEWORK AND CLASS WORK AS WELL AS ALLOWING PARENTS TO ADD MONEY TO THEIR KIDS LUNCH ACCOUNTS. YOU CAN SEE YOUR CHILD/CHILDREN'S GRADES AS WELL AS WHICH ASSIGNMENTS THEY ARE MISSING. YOU CAN ALSO SEE HOW MANY QUESTIONS THEY MISSED ON A QUIZ OR TEST. IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE CHILD LISTED AND THEY ALL CAN BE AT DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. AMAZING!!!!!
CONSThere isn't anything that I don't like about this software. It is the best thing that they have created.
Vendor Response
Thank you so much for the great comments Whitney. We're so glad that you are enjoying a positive experience with Skyward's Family Access.
Replied December 2019
Amanda
Verified reviewer
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2018
The Sky is the limit with Skyward
Skyward School Management has been a very positive change for our district. We switched a couple of years ago and since then it is easier for us to manage debt on lunch accounts and easier for me as a parent to stay on top of things like this.
PROSI like how easily accessible Skyward is for parents to keep track of student expenses. Not only can parents easily add money to and watch student's lunch accounts, they can also easily pay fees online and very quickly. In a matter of seconds, I am able to add lunch money to my child's lunch account.
CONSThere is nothing I dislike about this software.
Vendor Response
Thanks for the kind words, Amanda! We're more than happy to help.
Replied September 2018
Chad
Verified reviewer
Education Management, 201-500 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2018
Generally good software to manage student information.
It has a comprehensive set of features that allow student management. From the teacher side the data is fairly easy to view and input of the gradebook and attendance is relatively easy.
CONSIt is somewhat difficult to learn. There are many variables that can confuse teachers in creating gradebooks and in accessing information. The reports are not particularly intuitive to use.
Vendor Response
Thanks for the kind words, Chad! If you ever find yourself helping new teachers learn the system, we have some resources available at https://www.skyward.com/support/quick-hits/teacher and https://www.skyward.com/teachers.
Replied February 2018
Laura
Verified reviewer
Education Management, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed January 2022
Skyward for Student Management
Skyward is a "one stop shop" for teachers. Student information can be quickly accessed through Skyward. Teachers use Skyward for attendance, grades, and student information.
CONSSome of the grade book setting can be a learning curve, but not very difficult to figure out.
Vendor Response
We appreciate your feedback Laura. It's always great to receive comments from the teachers who are using Skyward to make their lives a little easier.
Replied January 2022
Anonymous
51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed August 2020
There are some nice features
I am a teacher. My whole district uses Skyward. I have around 300 students at any given time.
PROSI love that I can send mass emails to all parents. I am impressed by some of the reports that I can generate from the website.
CONSSome of the features are clunky and hard to use. It is extremely difficult to access messages that people have sent me in Skyward.
Gjanden
Human Resources, 1 employee
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
1
EASE OF USE
1
VALUE FOR MONEY
1
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
1
FUNCTIONALITY
1
Reviewed February 2022
An Awful Experience for Two Household Families
As a parent of children in a two household family, Skyward has been nothing short of a frustrating experience. The system designates the categories of Family 1 and Family 2. Being listed as Family 2 means that I get excluded from important communications, am restricted from scheduling parent teacher conferences, and at one point was told I could not check out my own child from school to go to a dentist's appointment. I have voiced these concerns multiple times in my district only to be informed that the frustrations I have voiced are voiced several times over by other parents and that Skyward has done nothing to address these complaints. It appears that NO consideration was given in the design, or implementation of two household families who share the responsibility of raising their kids. For context, my ex and I share 50/50 joint physical and legal custody which means I am equally responsible for their financial, physical, and educational wellbeing.
PROSBeing listed as Family 2 means I don't get much of any benefit out of Skyward other than seeing my kids' grades and progress.
CONSThe software is clunky, not user friendly, not family friendly, and serves only as a repository of data that is very uneasily accessed.
Vendor Response
Obviously, we are disappointed about your experience with Skyward. We can't tell from this review if you are using our SMS 2.0 or Qmlativ platform. In either case we definitely have options for F2 to see and receive information, but the solutions differ. The software definitely does not make staff deny direct access to their kids. We recommend working with your children's district on this issue and visiting our Family Access Resource Toolkits on our website to help you get more from Skyward.
Replied February 2022
DENA
Education Management, 501-1,000 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
3
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed October 2019
EXCELLENT SCHOOL SOFTWARE
We have to keep detailed records on everything from students to the financial. This software does it all. It allows multiple people to see the same data and manipulate it, all while having secure separate log-ins. It keeps all the data, runs all reports and keeps logs of who has done what and when.
PROSSkyward keeps all of the records and any information that you can possibly want to report, accessible at your fingertips.
CONSThe annual cost is a little much, not sure how it compares to other school softwares. It takes some training to use. If you know computers and how they work, it will be a snap. I did not find it very intuitive.
Reasons for switching to Skyward Student Management Suite
The Websmart Company was not doing what we needed and they were not going to be able to take on the new additions.
Vendor Response
Thanks for the review Dena. We are always looking for ways to make our software more intuitive. If you haven't already done so, we encourage you to sign up for our User Research Panel so you can have more input on the future development of our products. If interested, check out the Support area of our website for more details. Thanks again!
Replied October 2019
Dawn
Education Management, 501-1,000 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
3
EASE OF USE
2
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed March 2021
Train your staff in Skyward
Skyward I am sure has many functions that I have not been trained to used. I feel good software should be user friendly and somewhat intuitive; Skyward is not.
PROSI like that I can mark all students present with one click. You can set up seating chart attendance with or without pictures. It can average grades for you. You can see if parents have accessed their child's profiles.
CONSThis is not user friendly and requires training. If staff is not trained (I was not) it leads to a great deal of frustration.
Reasons for switching to Skyward Student Management Suite
District decision
Vendor Response
Dawn, the timing of your review couldn't have come at a better time. We are hosting a free remote User Group on April 26-30 with all kinds of sessions available to maximize your Skyward knowledge. If you go to our website and click on the Events tap you should be able to find it. There are also resources available at www.skyward.com/learnskyward that should help you. Thanks for your feedback.
Replied March 2021
Scott
Education Management, 201-500 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed January 2017
Responsive company with top notch software
Skyward has been our SIS for 10 years now and while many districts have switched SIS systems every few years, we have remained happy customers. The main reason for this happiness? The company is very responsive to the input from their customers. Because of being responsive to that input, Skyward has been able to create an extremely flexible system that allows for many different scenarios for how schools operate. The future is bright, and we know even more great things are coming from the company.
PROSFlexibility and the frequency of updates to the software
CONSNavigation can be burdensome for those who have system-wide security access. This is just due to the amount of features that are available, but not much of a problem for end users as they only have access to what they actually need.
Vendor Response
Thanks so much, Scott! We promise not to settle for mediocrity in anything and we're thankful for all the insights from you and the rest of the Skyward community.
Replied January 2017
Krista
Education Management, 201-500 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed December 2019
Easy for teachers to use!
I have used Skyward for both student management and employee access for personal work data. It makes day today task easier and I like having access to important information when needed.
PROSI like how Skyward makes everyday tasks like taking attendance easy or checking attendance history. I also like the availability to gather student information from their profiles when needed.
CONSI don’t like how the app version doesn’t allow you to view detailed information like the computer software does. I wish the two mirrored each other better.
Vendor Response
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us Krista. We take great pride in the role users play in the evolution of our products. If you haven't done so already, I urge you to consider signing up for our User Research Panel which you can access from the Support area of our website.
Replied January 2020
Crystal
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed March 2018
I am parent user for this program and I find it to be easy to use and easy to understand.
I like that I can choose how I want my screen to look and can choose the information presented. I am able to toggle between all of the different pages easily and efficiently. I can access my child's information st the click of a finger. Additionally, I can access pertinent school and district information. I prefer this program to PowerSchool, as a parent user. I have access to more information faster and easier.
CONSI have had no real problems with this program so far. It has served my needs as a parent. I only struggled with the initial login, due to a bit of s glitch in the system, but that was all worked out.
Vendor Response
Thanks for the positive review, Crystal. We're so happy you are enjoying a better experience with Skyward!
Replied March 2018
Davida
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
3
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed January 2017
Top of the Line
I always describe Skyward as a top of the line SIS. Skyward has been wonderful to work with and an asset to our district. We love giving our staff one stop shopping for data. We also know our parents and students have come to rely on Family/Student Access for up-to-date information. We find the system easy to use and has features and functionality that is always on the cutting edge.
PROSVery easy to use for all levels. Skyward holds an abundant amount of data so we can use it in my areas in the school district.
CONSThere is sometimes a longer wait then expected to hear from customer service.
Vendor Response
Hi Davida, thank you for the kind words and for all the amazing things you are doing in Walled Lake! We'll keep working to deliver a better experience both in the product and in the support we offer for it.
Replied January 2017
Natasha
Education Management, 10,000+ employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed April 2021
With Skyward, the sky's the limit!
My experience with SKYWARD has been great. I use it daily to keep attendance, grades, and contact info for all my students.
PROSI love that I can easily access information about all of my students in one location. From parent contact info to the student's transcripts, I have easy access to anything I might need.
CONSThere is nothing that I do not like about the software. It is super user-friendly and easy to use.
Reasons for switching to Skyward Student Management Suite
The county I worked for made the decision to switch.
Vendor Response
Thanks for your great review Natasha. We never grow tired of hearing how Skyward is helping to make teachers' lives a little easier.
Replied April 2021
Lindsey
Accounting, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2020
Excellent Source
Overall extremely happy with this application. I highly recommend that every parent who has a child in school use this app.
PROSI enjoy using this software because I get to track my children's grades and progress daily! Report cards and progress reports are posted on here as well, so if my child ever "forgets" to bring it home, I can always look it up
CONSThere is nothing about the Skyward application that I do not like. Everything about it is easy to use!
Vendor Response
Thanks for the great review Lindsey. We're so glad the Skyward app is helping you stay connected with what's happening at school.
Replied February 2020
Patti
Education Management, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
1
VALUE FOR MONEY
3
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed February 2017
Patti St. Charles High School
When my district converted to Skyward, some of the training sessions were not as informative as we would have liked. Now that we are a few years into using the software, most of us have come to appreciate all that can be done. It continues to be a learning process. Many of the "features & functions" are real time savers.
PROSReports that are time savers.
CONSSome settings are at deep levels that are difficult to find and use.
Vendor Response
Glad to hear you're saving time with Skyward, Patti! We have a number of training and development resources available that might help with the learning curve. Check out https://www.skyward.com/discover/educator-newsletter-blog/july-2015/know-your-skyward-training-options
Replied February 2017
Cathy
Education Management, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed June 2019
Many Tools to Collect and Share Data
I have been utilizing Skyward for over 10 years and find it a useful tool in managing student performance data, as well as attendance information. Data is stored and may be easily retrieved for years. Reports are easily compiled and may easily be modified by student or entire class.
PROSWhat I like most about Skyward is that it offers many types of reports that can be printed out or shared online. Data can be accessed by parents any time of day and they are able to ask questions through the program.
CONSI haven't found a need that is not met by this software.
Michael
Education Management, 201-500 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2020
Skyward in the Classroom
Skyward was reliable and fairly easy to use for the day to day functions of a classroom.
PROSI enjoyed the simplicity of everyday use for attendance and entering grades. I also enjoyed the connectivity from administrators to teachers.
CONSI didn’t enjoy the complexity of grades for midterms and report cards. It took a while to enter all comments and run the report.
Vendor Response
We appreciate your feedback Michael. Making sure Skyward is easy to use remains a top priority with our product team.
Replied March 2020
AMANDA
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed January 2018
I can keep track of children and how they are doing in school.
Keeping up with my children school progress.
PROSI love being able to log in and see how my child is doing in high school by each class. You can see missing assignments, test scores and quizzes. The teachers and the school can also contact me through skyward.
CONSIt can be confusing to use when you first start using it, but it gets easier and easier the more you use it.
Vendor Response
Thanks so much for the kind review, Amanda. We're happy to see you're getting the most out of Family Access!
Replied January 2018
Jayne
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed June 2018
Skyward is our school district's SIS.
Skyward is a very powerful product. We have used it for 15+ years and I am still finding useful features. Anytime I have an issue, support is punctual and extremely helpful to solve my issue.
CONSSkyward can be very daunting because it is so powerful. It is semi-userfriendly, but the interface looks stark and cold.
Vendor Response
Much appreciated, Jayne. Thank you! We think we've addressed those interface concerns with our new Qmlativ product.
Replied June 2018
DaNae
Education Management, 1 employee
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
1
EASE OF USE
1
VALUE FOR MONEY
1
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
1
FUNCTIONALITY
1
Reviewed November 2023
Waste of time and effort
Horrible
PROSNothing at all do I like about Skyward.
CONSVery difficult to use and a waste of time and energy
Vendor Response
We’re sorry to hear you are not enjoying Skyward. Many people find using our resources, like the Employee Access and Family Access Toolkits, to be a helpful way to learn the system and get more value from it.
Replied February 2024