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Connect your SIS, activate your first app, and verify data is flowing to your schools

In this article

SchoolDay connects your district's student information system (SIS) to the education apps your schools use. This guide covers the full setup path, from registration through your first working data sync.

What you'll set up

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

  • An active District Admin account secured with multi-factor authentication
  • Student and staff records imported from your SIS
  • At least one vendor app activated and receiving data on a schedule
  • Confirmation that teachers and students can sign in and use the app

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

  • Authority to register your district with SchoolDay
  • An institutional email address
  • SIS credentials, or your roster data exported as CSV files
  • A list of the vendor apps your district plans to use

Step 1: Register your district and create your account

Registration is a separate process: your district submits a request, the SchoolDay District Onboarding Team reviews it, and you receive an email invitation to create your account.

Complete this first: Register your district and create an admin account

If you manage more than one district, read the email address requirements in that article before you register. Each district needs its own address, and you can't change it later.

Expected result: You can sign in to SchoolDay with full District Admin permissions. Return here to continue.

Step 2: Secure your account

Your District Admin account controls all data management and app integrations. Secure it before you import student data.

  1. Replace your temporary password with a permanent one.
  2. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA). An authenticator app is more secure than SMS.
  3. Add your name, title, phone number, and district to your profile so other admins and support staff can reach you. For detailed steps, see Configure personal MFA settings.

Expected result: SchoolDay prompts you for a second factor the next time you sign in.

Step 3: Import student and staff data

Roster data is the foundation for every app integration. Apps have nothing to share until your data is in SchoolDay.

Choose one import method:

Method

Best for

What you need

API integration

Districts with technical support that want automated, ongoing sync

SIS API credentials

SFTP upload

Smaller districts, one-time imports, or districts without API access

Roster data as CSV files

SchoolDay retrieves student IDs, names, email addresses, grade levels, class assignments, and staff records. Import time varies with data volume, system load, and network conditions.

For detailed steps, see Import data via SFTP.

Expected result: Your imported records appear in Data Browsing > Rostering.

Step 4: Activate your first vendor app

Activating an app grants it permission to access specific parts of your roster data.

  1. Browse the SchoolDay Application Gallery and activate it for your district's use.
  2. Review the data the app requires, such as student names, email addresses, and class lists.
  3. Authorize the app to access those data elements. Each app has its own privacy and data-sharing agreement. Activation records which data the app can access, so teachers and parents can see it.

For detailed steps, see Activate an Export app.

Expected result: The app appears in your active apps and is ready to receive data.

Step 5: Turn on data synchronization

Sync creates the live connection between your imported data and your activated apps. Without it, apps keep working from the roster they received when you activated them.

  1. Open the app you activated in Step 4.
  2. Run imort/export.
  3. (Optional) Set a sync frequency: real-time, daily, or weekly.

Run imports before exports. If an export or 2-way sync runs before an import finishes, the connected app receives outdated or incomplete records. When you add more apps later, see Set up a sync schedule.

Expected result: A student you add to a class in your SIS appears in the connected app after the next sync.

Step 6: Verify your setup

Verify each part of the setup before staff and students start using the app. 

  • Roster data: Confirm that the student and staff counts in Data Browsing > Rostering match your SIS. 
  • App access: Confirm that your activated app shows the rosters you expect.
  • Sign-in: Ask one teacher and one student to sign in and open the app.
  • Sync: Make a small change in your SIS, run a sync, and confirm that the change appears in the app. 

Expected result: Data flows from your SIS through SchoolDay to your apps, and staff can sign in.

Troubleshooting

Having trouble registering or creating your account? See the troubleshooting section in Register your district and create an admin account.

Next steps