| Skyward | |
| Industry: | Enterprise software, educational support software |
| Type: | Corporation |
| Founded: | 1980 |
| Location City: | Stevens Point, Wisconsin |
| Location Country: | US |
| Area Served: | Wisconsin Texas Utah Pennsylvania New Jersey New Mexico Tennessee Florida Minnesota South Dakota Illinois Indiana Washington |
| Key People: | James King, FounderScott Glinski, CEORay Ackerlund, President |
Skyward is a software company specializing in K–12 school management and municipality management technologies, including student management, human resources, and financial management. Skyward is partnered with more than 1,900 school districts and municipalities worldwide.
Skyward applications are currently used by school districts and municipalities in 22 U.S. states and multiple international locations. Skyward's student information system and ERP solutions are designed to automate and simplify daily tasks in the areas of student management, financial management, and human resources.
Students' guardians use Skyward's Family Access product to stay up-to-date on students' grades, school schedules, food service accounts, and to communicate with teachers and other district staff. Students use Skyward's Student Access product to check their own grades and schedules, work on online assignments, and communicate with teachers.
Skyward was founded by Jim King in 1980 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin under the name Jim King and Associates. King worked as a subcontracted employee for a variety of businesses around Wisconsin, writing human resources and accounting software for IBM 5100 computers. In 1981, King wrote software for Merrill Area Public Schools, which was subsequently purchased by three other districts in Wisconsin.
In 1984, Associates incorporated as a company and adopted the name School Administrative Software, Incorporated (SASI)
In 1988 and 1992, SASI opened offices in St. Cloud, Minnesota and Bloomington, Illinois, respectively. In 1994, SASI purchased Matrix Computers, a special education administration software company, and SASI changed their name to Skyward, Inc. In 1998 and 1999, Skyward opened offices in Lansing, Michigan and Indiana.
In 2001, Skyward partnered with the Washington School Information Processing Cooperative (WSIPC) to integrate into 297 districts throughout the state. In 2002, Skyward opened an office in Austin, Texas. In 2006, Skyward partnered with their first international customer, the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India.In this time, Skyward expanded sales to Utah, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee and Florida.
In 2011 the Texas Education Agency selected Skyward as a preferred vendor of student administrative software for Texas schools. In 2013, Rhode Island and Tennessee education departments both selected Skyward as a preferred vendor of student administrative software for their schools.
In March, 2016, Skyward moved all corporate operations to its new world headquarters building in Stevens Point, WI.[1]