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Import Parents for app accounts

Learn how to import and manage user records using unified CSV or XLSX bulk upload files.

Import Parents for app accounts

📋 Check with Data Integrations before you import: If your school syncs parent records from a Student Information System, contact Edlio Data Integrations before doing a manual import — open a support ticket or email [email protected] so a DI team member can review your sync setup first. Manual imports create accounts without a sync Source ID, which can duplicate records or disrupt your SIS sync if not done carefully. A manual import on your own is appropriate only when your school has no SIS sync configured for parents, or DI has already confirmed it's safe for your situation.

💡 Cross-Platform Bulk Upload: The bulk upload document uses a unified format that works across both the Edlio App and Edlio CMS and is available as a CSV or XLSX file.

Use a manual import when you need to add parents to the app dashboard without waiting on your SIS sync. The import expects an XLSX (Excel) file with one row per parent and the required column headers in the first row.

Step 1 — Open the People area

From the dashboard home, click People.

People area with 9 tiles including Manage People and Import

Step 2 — Click Import

In the People area, click the Import tile. You'll land on the Import hub with three options: Import People, Import Relationships, and Upload Images.

Import landing page with Import People, Import Relationships, and Upload Images tiles

Step 3 — Choose Import People

Click the Import People tile. The Import People wizard opens as a modal with three steps: 1. Choose File and Settings, 2. Review Errors, 3. Import Data.

The first step shows the file-format spec, including which columns are required and what values they accept. The required columns are:

  • Email (required, used as login identifier)

  • First Name (required)

  • Last Name (required)

  • Identity (required) — for parents, use Parent or Guardian

Import People wizard Step 1 showing required columns

Step 4 — Download a template and upload your file

Scroll down inside the modal to find the Common Sample File and Extended Template File downloads, plus the file upload area.

  • Use the Common Sample File for a simple import — just the required columns and a few optional ones (phone, alternate username).

  • Use the Extended Template File when you need to assign sites, app roles, or account types as part of the import (Extended Mode).

Fill the template with your parents, save it as XLSX, then drag the file into the Drag an Excel file or click here to browse area at the bottom of the modal.

Import People wizard scrolled to show sample file downloads and file upload area

Step 5 — Review errors and import

Once the file uploads, the wizard advances to Step 2: Review Errors. If any rows fail validation, the wizard lists each error with the row number and what's wrong (missing required field, malformed email, duplicate, etc.). Fix the errors in your XLSX file and re-upload, or skip the invalid rows.

When the file is error-free, the Continue button takes you to Step 3: Import Data. Confirm the summary (total parents to import, target school, role assignment) and click IMPORT to finish.

✅ After import succeeds: The parents now have app accounts but have NOT yet been invited. To send invitation emails, go to Send / Reset Invitations and select the newly-imported parents.

Troubleshooting

The validator says I have invalid records

Check that all four required fields are filled for every row: First name, Last name, Email, Identity.

Make sure email addresses are well-formed (no trailing spaces, no typos like missing @ or .com).

Verify no two rows have the same email — duplicate emails cause invalid records.

Make sure you're using the template downloaded from the wizard. Custom column orderings or extra columns can cause parse errors.

If the validator shows a specific error message you don't understand, contact [email protected] with a screenshot.

Some parents are already in the dashboard — do I need to import them again?

No. The import is meant for parents who don't exist in your dashboard yet. If a parent is already in Manage People (whether from SIS sync or a previous import), use the Adding Accounts for Existing Contacts flow instead — that creates an app account for the existing record without duplicating it. Importing the same email twice will create a duplicate record.

I imported parents but they didn't get an invitation email

Import creates the accounts but does NOT automatically send invitations. After import, go to Send / Reset Invitations to send invitation emails. You can use Advanced Filters to narrow the list — for example, open the Account dropdown and leave Has Account unchecked to focus on people who haven't been provisioned yet — then select the rows you want.

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