Alma SIS Reviews

“well organized class management

Pros

Assignments, grading, reporting and attendance are all laid out in a very organized way. It's also simple to jump between different classes without running into any issues!

Cons

sometimes if I forget to save the documents disappear and I end up having to rewrite everything I had already entered :(

“Has been great!

Pros

Has been a huge win for our school especially when it comes to state reporting integration and how simple the system is to learn and teach to others. Teachers and admins can keep up with their caseloads without trouble and pull up key information quickly. The customer support is always right there on the homepage which is really convenient and responses come back incredibly fast whenever we reach out. Our office staff also really appreciates being able to securely manage student information in the system and move through details we couldn't access nearly as well in our previous software.

Cons

Only real adjustment was not having an option to send parent alerts by phone call. At first that took some getting used to but our families have adapted to receiving texts and emails instead. If phone call alerts are added later on that would be a feature we'd be very happy to have.

“helpful health alerts and care plans

Pros

One of the best parts of the software is being able to flag students who have medical concerns. Setting up a critical health alert helps teachers and other school staff quickly recognize students who may be high risk. It's also really useful that the school nurse can upload individualized health care plans into Alma which makes sharing important health details much more efficient for the people who need access to that information.

Cons

The only downside I've noticed is the program speed. At times it can be slower than expected especially when trying to pull up student health information.

“Accessible platform and excellent support!

Pros

Using this has been a really positive experience for both our faculty and our families. The layout feels natural and the information is presented in a consistent and predictable way so it's quick to locate what you need. And when tech problems pop up which they inevitably do their customer support has been outstanding! They've done a phenomenal job helping us work through issues on both the admin and family sides until everything is resolved. We're extremely happy with the product and genuinely feel it delivers strong value for what we've invested.

Cons

Honestly there's very little we dislike about it. The few issues we've run into have been simple to work through and in many cases they turned out to be features or options we just didn't realize were available.

“flexible tools that fit our school

Pros

From the start this software became a valuable part of how our school operates. The biggest benefit has been how well it adjusts to what our school actually needs. It's a truly customizable system so we were able to configure it around our existing workflows instead of having to reshape everything to fit the software. Another big plus is how user friendly it is. Staff and teachers didn't need to be especially tech savvy to begin using it comfortably and after a brief introduction they were able to move through the platform with confidence. That made the switch much less overwhelming and far less stressful than with other systems we've used before. Several features have been especially useful for us. The attendance tools have saved time by giving us clear and well organized information without adding extra work. The communication features have also been a real advantage helping staff and families stay connected in an easy and dependable way. Overall it has helped us stay organized and keep our attention on students rather than on managing technology. I'd absolutely recommend this to any school that wants a flexible and accessible system that reliably gets the job done!

Cons

My only real complaint is that it wasn't comparable to the system our district office uses for reporting.

“Great messaging and value

Pros

Accessibility was a big plus and getting everything set up was fairly simple. The platform includes a strong range of features especially considering the price and the email and messaging system was excellent.

Cons

The only real downside was that customer service response times could be inconsistent at times but overall the positives clearly outweighed that issue.

“helpful navigation and family messaging

Pros

Navigating this software as a teacher is very easy and it makes finding information quick and simple. Being able to send messages to families is also a feature I really appreciate.

Cons

I do wish the attendance section counted students who leave early as absent or tardy. It would also be better if messages could be sent by both text and email at the same time instead of needing to send two separate messages.

“Up to date student info

Pros

Having current student information available at all times is incredibly helpful. As an SLP I can quickly check attendance, contact details and student photos which are especially useful for visual schedules. The system is also very user friendly which makes daily tasks much more convenient.

Cons

One issue I've run into with this software as a service provider is that I can't create my own classrooms or student groups. Since I work with students across different grade levels and classrooms being able to keep my caseload organized in one central spot would make a big difference in efficiency. Right now I have to look up each student one by one which adds extra time and makes documentation and progress tracking more difficult. If the software allowed service providers to build and manage their own groups or "classes" it would make workflows much more efficient and better support specialists working in schools.

“school management made simple

Pros

From both the teacher and parent side this software does a really nice job of streamlining everyday school tasks. I can sync grades without much trouble, keep up with attendance and quickly see where my students are throughout the day.

Cons

It does take a bit of time to fully learn and there are still a few areas that could be improved like adding special education alerts for teachers.

“organized grading and parent updates

Pros

Keeping up with grades feels much more organized with this software and daily communication with parents is a lot easier because of it. The customer support team has also been very responsive and helpful, answering questions quickly and offering guidance whenever we need it.

Cons

Biggest difficulty for us is the cost especially as a nonprofit operating in a non dollar economy. Even with that financial challenge the platform's organization and communication features still make it feel worth the investment.

“A game changer!!

Pros

Switching from Blackbaud to this software felt like a huge upgrade for both our faculty and our families. We're a very small school without much internal tech support and this was about as self explanatory as we could have hoped for. The chat support and video resources answered nearly every question we had and the Wednesday online sessions were also really helpful. At one point we did need significant help fixing a major setup mistake on our end, we had accidentally selected a 7 day week instead of a 5 day week. Their behind the scenes team stepped in, resolved it and got everything back on track without any data loss. For the cost the software gave us all the features we had been using and needing in Blackbaud.

Cons

The Bell Schedule setup is something you really need to look at closely before getting started because it can cause issues if it's not configured carefully. Our schedule was still changing when we first implemented the system which made things more complicated. That said once we had it set up correctly it worked perfectly even with our non standard scheduling.

“solid value and teacher-friendly tools

Pros

Something that really helped was how much value this gave us for the price especially when some unexpected line item expenses came up at exactly the wrong time. In my role as Academic Director I also saw our teachers really appreciate how user friendly it was when creating assignments and entering grades.

Cons

Once our needs started expanding we did have to pay extra to add more features. Even with that this was the right fit for us at the time.

“friendly platform

Pros

Everything about it feels very user friendly and whenever I have trouble locating something customer service gets back to me really fast.

Cons

I do wish the medical features were more developed especially for inventory tracking of medications, recording when they were given and noting any missed doses.

“Reliable for schools

Pros

The interface feels accessible so staff and teachers are able to pick it up fairly quickly. It also has strong tools for managing student data and the grading and reporting system has been dependable. On top of that customer support has been responsive whenever help is needed.

Cons

Since we are still new to the system there has been some difficulty getting used to it. However the support team has been very helpful so there is honestly not much else to point out as a downside.

“a perfect fit for schools

Pros

This has been a top tier learning management and student information system for our small to medium sized school community. The interface feels user friendly and accessible which makes it comfortable for teachers, faculty and staff to work in every day. Its support for basic record keeping and more organized communication has really helped strengthen collaboration, keep everyone connected and improve overall workflow.

Cons

Honestly the software covered every area our administrative team needed help with. It supported everything from demographic records and academics to the daily management of student life including parent and student communication and tracking behavior reports. For our small school community going through a period of transition it truly ended up being the right platform at exactly the right time.

“organized and user friendly for schools

Pros

Across the whole school this software keeps everything well organized from administrative tasks to the needs of students, teachers and parents. The platform is user friendly, everything is easy to access and the support team has been excellent as well.

Cons

One thing that could be improved is the ability to customize data such as adding more languages to the list. Right now only a limited number of languages are available and for an international school we need the option to include the many different languages our students speak.

“Secure grading

Pros

For administrators, teachers, students and parents THIS software works really well and feels very user friendly. As an administrator whenever I need help their customer support is quick to reach and usually resolves things almost immediately. From the teacher side I feel confident that grades are secure and it's convenient that students and parents can access them easily to stay updated on progress. I also appreciate features like leaving notes, adding calendar events, sending messages to the whole class and posting through the bulletin board. Our district is fortunate to have this this in place!

Cons

No drawbacks come to mind with this software. Out of all the platforms I've worked with this one is definitely my top choice.

“makes school life better

Pros

After using it for years across two different school districts it still stands out as one of the most user friendly student information systems I've worked with! Teachers really appreciate how simple it is to move through attendance, grades and other daily tasks. Attendance only takes a few clicks and with the Google Classroom integration and syncing teachers spend far less time entering grades. That extra time matters and lets them focus on the many other responsibilities they manage each day. Students and parents are big fans too because the platform is simple and easy to navigate.

Cons

I don't have any complaints. As both a parent and an educator I've used a lot of student information systems and none of them have matched the experience I've had with this one.

“Alerts and spreadsheet wins

Pros

Using it has been a really positive experience as an end user. The system is easy to figure out and I can usually get the information I need in just a few clicks. The spreadsheet data editor is easily the feature I rely on most because it gives me a fast way to pull data by fields and groups without needing any programming background. I also really appreciate having the alert system built right into the platform since it makes sending urgent messages out quickly very convenient.

Cons

Honestly I really have nothing negative to say about the software itself. Like any new software it does take some time to learn and I think sometimes people mistake not knowing the system well yet for the system not performing well. The training videos have been very useful and the weekly Zoom Q&A sessions are helpful too.

“accurate gradebook for teachers

Pros

As a teacher this program works really well for me. It's user friendly and handles everything I'd expect from an online gradebook.

Cons

Every once in a while there are minor glitches or crashes but their team is very fast about getting everything back up and running.

“campus wide adoption

Pros

Across campus the system has been very user friendly. Parents, students and staff all picked it up quickly and I rarely have to step in to help anyone use it.

Cons

A couple of features still feel missing though like a grade level filter in the school directory and notifications when someone submits a start form.

“Good grading and messaging tools

Pros

Right away the interface felt user friendly and simple to understand. One of the best parts is being able to set up grade categories with their matching weights so when assignments and categories are entered the system automatically calculates everything correctly. I also really appreciated how it makes communication with students and families much simpler through the built-in messaging features which ends up saving a lot of time.

Cons

The only issue I have is that the mobile version of the website is not very efficient. It would be much better if there were a dedicated mobile app.

“Simple navigation

Pros

Compared with other platforms I've used in schools this feels much more accessible and user friendly. The navigation makes sense and getting around the system is easy. I've also appreciated the built in messaging and help ticket feature since responses come back quickly when support is needed.

Cons

There really isn't much to complain about. If anything I just wish my school made fuller use of more features such as entering test scores and adding calendar information.

“clear grading insights

Pros

Everything feels very convenient and simple to use. It's especially helpful to see how each assessment category I set up shows the way every skill contributes to a student's overall grade.

Cons

With our school's block schedule and separate events for the high school and middle school the calendar section can be a bit difficult to read.

“Dependable study guide

Pros

Something that really stands out is the chat box. I usually get a reply within 30 minutes or even faster. The staff are always personable and if they don't know the answer right away they make sure to find it. I also really appreciate the Study Guide.

Cons

Nothing to complain about. I haven't had any problems and anytime something has come up customer service has always helped me through the chat box.