SIS Migration Guide

How to switch your
school's SIS.

Switching SIS platforms is less disruptive than staying on one that doesn't work. Here's what the process actually looks like - and how to make it go smoothly.

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The migration process

What an SIS switch actually looks like, step by step.

For schools moving to a modern SIS with guided implementation, the process typically runs 6 to 10 weeks from contract to go-live.

1
Weeks 1-2

Export and audit your current data

Pull student records, historical grades, family contacts, and course data from your current SIS. This is also the moment to decide what historical data you need to migrate vs. what you'll archive. Most schools migrate current enrollment, grade history for active students, and family contact information. Older historical data can often be kept in the old system as an archive.

2
Weeks 2-3

Configure your new platform

Work with the implementation team to set up your school's structure: grade levels, courses, bell schedule, grading scales, report card format, and user roles. A well-guided implementation has this mostly done for you - you're reviewing and approving, not building from scratch.

3
Weeks 3-5

Import and verify your data

The implementation team loads your student records, historical grades, and family data into the new system. You verify a sample of records for accuracy before signing off. This is the step most schools worry about most - and the one that's usually least eventful when the vendor has a solid import process.

4
Weeks 5-7

Train your staff

Administrators, teachers, and front-office staff need to know how to do their core daily tasks in the new system before school starts. Focus training on the high-frequency workflows: attendance, gradebook, family communication, and scheduling. Deep feature training can follow after go-live.

5
Weeks 7-8

Set up families and go live

Invite families to the new portal, communicate the transition, and go live on the first day of school or the first day of the new semester. Notify families about the change before day one - a portal that families log into without warning is a support ticket waiting to happen.

6
Post-launch

Archive and decommission the old system

Keep the old SIS accessible in read-only mode for at least one semester after migration - staff will occasionally need to reference historical data that didn't migrate. Most vendors will allow this at no or low cost during the transition period. Once you're confident everything you need is in the new system, formally close the old account.

SIS migration questions, answered.

At minimum, most schools migrate:

  • Current student enrollment and demographic records
  • Grade history for currently enrolled students (typically 1-3 years back)
  • Family contact information and parent accounts
  • Course catalog and class sections
  • Staff records

What schools often decide not to migrate: attendance records older than the current year, grade history for graduated students (archived in the old system instead), and historical documents that don't need to be searchable in the new system.

The practical rule: migrate what staff will need to look up in the next 12 months. Archive everything else.

Most SIS platforms allow data export in CSV format. The fields available vary by platform - some make everything exportable, others restrict what you can pull without a data request to their support team.

FERPA gives students and families the right to access education records. As the school, you have the right to your own student data. If your current vendor makes data export difficult or charges for it, that's a vendor problem - not a legal one. Push back, and if necessary, invoke your data ownership rights explicitly.

When evaluating a new SIS, ask about their data import format requirements upfront. A vendor who has a repeatable migration process will tell you exactly what format they need and help you get there.

Alma's implementation team handles data migration from most major SIS platforms. If you're coming from Infinite Campus, PowerSchool, Skyward, Blackbaud, or another established platform, we've likely done it before.

Being mid-contract is a real constraint but not always an insurmountable one. Options depend on the contract terms:

  • Some contracts include early termination provisions - read yours carefully.
  • Many vendors will negotiate, particularly if you've had documented service issues. A letter citing specific support failures can open a conversation.
  • In some cases it makes sense to start the new system for the new school year while paying out the remaining months on the old contract. The cost is real but often less than the opportunity cost of another full year on a failing platform.
  • If your contract auto-renews, make sure you know the notice window. Missing the notice deadline by a month can lock you in for another full year.

Staff resistance to SIS transitions is almost always rooted in one of three things: fear of losing familiarity with a known system, skepticism that the new system will actually be better, or previous bad experiences with software rollouts.

The most effective approach:

  • Involve a teacher and an administrator from the beginning - let them participate in the evaluation and have input on the decision. People support what they helped build.
  • Name what's actually changing vs. what isn't. Most teachers' daily workflow is taking attendance and entering grades. Show them exactly how those two things work in the new system before launch.
  • Be honest that there will be a learning curve, but frame it as a one-time cost with a permanent payoff. A week of discomfort for years of a better platform is a trade worth making.
  • Identify two or three enthusiastic early adopters who can answer peer questions during the transition. Not everything needs to go through admin.

Schools switching to Alma from another SIS get a named implementation manager, a structured onboarding process, and data migration included in the contract. The timeline typically runs 6 to 10 weeks for a standard implementation - faster for simpler school structures, slightly longer for networks or schools with complex grading configurations.

The implementation manager is the school's single point of contact through go-live - not a support ticket queue. Schools that have done this process consistently report it was smoother than they expected, and that the most common regret is waiting too long to start.

Ready to make the switch?

Alma's implementation team has migrated schools from most major SIS platforms. The process is faster than you think - and the other side is worth it.

Talk to Alma About Switching