Blackbaud Student Information System vs PowerSchool SIS

Blackbaud Student Information System9.3Visit PowerSchool SIS8.7Visit

Higher score Blackbaud Student Information System #1 in K-12 Software 9.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 6 features Visit Blackbaud

vs

PowerSchool SIS #4 in K-12 Software 8.7/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 6 features Visit PowerSchool

• Blackbaud Student Information System fits best

  Comprehensive, established school networks

• PowerSchool SIS fits best

  Schools wanting mature SIS essentials

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Side by side

Feature	Blackbaud Student Information System 9.3/10 Visit ↗	PowerSchool SIS 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.7
Ranking	#1 in K-12 Software	#4 in K-12 Software
Best for	Comprehensive, established school networks	Schools wanting mature SIS essentials
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community
Compliance	SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS	SOC 2, ISO 27001
Integrations	8 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Blackbaud Student Information System 3/6 · PowerSchool SIS 3/6
Student records	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Attendance tracking	✓	✓
Gradebook	✓	✓
Parent portal	✓	✓
Online enrollment	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Learning management	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Unifies records, LMS, grading, attendance, scheduling, and parent access. Role-based portals serve students, families, faculty, staff, and administrators. APIs, OneRoster, LTI, and Blackbaud integrations support connected systems.	Combines student records, attendance, grading, and master scheduling. Provides family portals, mobile access, and school payment tools. Offers cloud or self-hosted deployment and compliance reporting.
Cons	Customized quote pricing requires a sales conversation. Cloud-only delivery may not fit schools requiring local hosting. Its broad scope may exceed the needs of a narrow gradebook deployment.	Pricing requires a sales conversation. Configurable fields and interfaces may take planning to fit school workflows. Enrollment and transportation capabilities sit outside the core SIS.
Our verdict	Blackbaud Student Information System is a cloud-based platform for private K–12 schools, with related capabilities for higher education institutions. It combines a 360-degree student view with learning management, role-based access, parent… Read the review →	PowerSchool SIS brings together core student information workflows for K-12 schools and districts, including public, charter, private, and international institutions. Its scope covers student and demographic records, attendance, grading,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Blackbaud Student Information System — where it wins

  • Unifies records, LMS, grading, attendance, scheduling, and parent access.
  • Role-based portals serve students, families, faculty, staff, and administrators.
  • APIs, OneRoster, LTI, and Blackbaud integrations support connected systems.

  Where it doesn't

  • Customized quote pricing requires a sales conversation.
  • Cloud-only delivery may not fit schools requiring local hosting.
  • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of a narrow gradebook deployment.

• PowerSchool SIS — where it wins

  • Combines student records, attendance, grading, and master scheduling.
  • Provides family portals, mobile access, and school payment tools.
  • Offers cloud or self-hosted deployment and compliance reporting.

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a sales conversation.
  • Configurable fields and interfaces may take planning to fit school workflows.
  • Enrollment and transportation capabilities sit outside the core SIS.

• Blackbaud Student Information System9.3/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad cloud SIS for private-school networks needing connected academics and administration.

  Visit BlackbaudFull verdict →
• PowerSchool SIS8.7/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad SIS for records, attendance, grading, portals, payments, and scheduling.

  Visit PowerSchoolFull verdict →