Traceability From Requirements Engineering To A C4-Based Reference Architecture For School Information Systems

The digital transformation of educational institutions requires information systems that can integrate academic and administrative processes while en-suring quality, traceability, and scalability. In this context, this study aimed to propose a reference architecture for a School Information System (SIS). A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted, supported by a review of Ec-uadorian regulations and international recommendations on digital school management. Functional requirements were specified through epics, non-functional requirements were defined based on ISO/IEC 25010, and techno-logical and design decisions were justified through Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) represented within the C4 model. As a result, eight epics and seven user profiles were identified, from which a client-server architec-ture was derived and modeled at the context, container, component, and code levels. The proposed solution integrates a web application, a mobile application, a backend, and a database, supported by Django, React, Flutter, and PostgreSQL. Expert validation showed full consensus across the evaluat-ed dimensions and enabled the incorporation of improvement suggestions in-to the final diagrams. Overall, the proposal constitutes a traceable and scala-ble reference architecture for future implementations of school information systems, with potential for adaptation to other educational contexts.