nXu Story — nXu

Direction and Drive for the Road Ahead

*nXu is a non-profit initiative whose mission is to ensure students are college and career ready by supporting their purpose development, durable skill development, and wellbeing.*

At nXu, we believe that every young person deserves to live a life of meaning, and we’re here to help them discover how.

When nXu–short for nexus–launched in 2017, we initially implemented a model focused on directly serving students. Over three years, we developed and delivered initial iterations of our curriculum to multiple cohorts of students.

Since 2021, we have partnered with schools and youth organizations to support educators to implement our curriculum. Our curricular repository of over 500 elementary, middle and high school lessons supports students to build upon the academic foundation they receive in school by offering learning experiences that help them master non-academic competencies. By partnering directly with schools and youth organizations, we aspire to transform the way these critical, non-cognitive skills are addressed and explored.

The nXu x Overgrad Partnership: Where Purpose-Driven Learning Meets College & Career Planning

nXu and Overgrad have partnered to make nXu’s full K–12 curriculum available within Overgrad’s platform, which will allow nXu to offer a more streamlined onboarding, curriculum access, and assessment experience. More broadly, schools and organizations will be able to engage with nXu’s content alongside Overgrad’s comprehensive college and career planning tools in a single, connected system.

Organizations may partner only with nXu to access its K–12 Purpose, Durable Skills, and Wellbeing curriculum and assessment system. Those seeking a more unified student success ecosystem may choose to also adopt the broader Overgrad platform.

About overgrad

Overgrad is a complete operating system for postsecondary student success. Built for K–12 schools, districts, and community-based organizations, it brings advising, planning, data tracking, communication, and reporting into a single system of record that supports students from early academic planning through post-graduation outcomes.

for educators & systems

Overgrad replaces disconnected tools and spreadsheets with a unified platform for advising, academic planning, postsecondary and career exploration, data tracking, reporting, and communication—allowing teams to spend less time managing systems and more time supporting students.

For students

The platform helps students take ownership of their futures by providing clarity, agency, and personalized pathways—whether pursuing college, career training, apprenticeships, or direct workforce entry.

Partner organizations achieve 2× the national average for postsecondary completion, supported by actionable insights and transparent reporting that enable continuous improvement.

Over time, nXu and Overgrad will continue building toward a more unified system that supports students from early planning through postsecondary pathways and into fulfilling careers.

Meet the Team

We are a team of passionate individuals with deep experience in launching, leading, and teaching within high-functioning schools and youth organizations. From former classroom teachers and school leaders to curriculum writers and operations experts, we’re dedicated to supporting educators and students to meet the challenges of today to succeed tomorrow.

The Leadership Team

nXu’s development is overseen by nationally recognized educators who have played key roles in leading, establishing, and growing nationally recognized schools and education organizations.

Norman Atkins

Co-Founder and President Emeritus, Relay Graduate School of Education;
Founder and Board Chair, Uncommon Schools

Dave Levin

Co-Founder, KIPP

Aylon Samouha

Co-Founder, Transcend

Jeff Wetzler