Most edtech companies expand as fast as they can, but not us. We launched in higher education eight years ago, built a research base, and published peer-reviewed studies. As the platform grew, so did demand from high schools wanting in. Only after having the evidence that the platform worked did we meet that demand. That deliberate approach is part of why the results have been so striking: 98% of students are daily active users at one school.

Engagement like that only happens when students actually want to use the tool.

Why did Nectir wait to expand into high schools?

Because our priority was student outcomes, not market share.

We made a deliberate decision to build the research base in higher education first. The peer-reviewed study at Los Angeles Pacific University showed a 7.5% increase in GPA campuswide after one term, along with a 13% rise in final scores and a 36% boost in intrinsic motivation. Those numbers gave the team confidence that the platform produced real outcomes, not just engagement metrics.

"We took our time doing that. We wanted to know that the research we were doing backed up our claims before we expanded."

Only after the evidence was clear did we move into high schools. That discipline is rare in edtech, where the pressure to grow often outpaces the evidence.

What does 98% daily active usage actually mean?

It means nearly every student at the school is using the AI every single day. Because the tool is useful enough that they choose to.

That number is harder to hit than it sounds. AI tools are arriving in schools faster than the infrastructure or trust to support them. According to a 2025 RAND report, more than 80% of students said their teachers had not explicitly taught them how to use AI for schoolwork, and fewer than half of principals (45%) reported their schools have any AI use policies in place. At the same time, half of students worry about being falsely accused of cheating, and 55% of high schoolers believe greater use of AI could harm their critical thinking. Most AI tools enter classrooms without policy above them, instruction around them, or trust beneath them, and engagement suffers as a result.

More than 80% of students said their teachers had not explicitly taught them how to use AI for schoolwork, and fewer than half of principals (45%) reported their schools have any AI use policies in place.

A 98% daily active user rate is engagement that rivals consumer social apps. The difference is that every one of those interactions is academic.

That trust isn't accidental. Nectir is faculty-controlled and built directly on each course's materials, so students aren't sent off into an unfamiliar tool. Instructors set the boundaries, and the AI stays inside the work students are actually doing. It doesn't hand back finished answers; it guides students through their own thinking, which protects the critical-thinking skills students and parents are worried about and keeps students on the right side of academic integrity. And because Nectir is FERPA-compliant, student data is protected at every step.

Students are using Nectir to work through assignments, ask questions they wouldn't raise in class, get feedback on their writing, and prepare for exams. The volume of engagement is a signal that the tool is meeting students where they are, inside the workflow they actually use.

How does responsible scaling work in edtech?

Responsible scaling means expanding based on evidence, not ambition. It means piloting at a controlled scale, rigorously measuring outcomes, publishing the results, and only then moving into new markets.

Our expansion followed that model. Higher education first, with peer-reviewed research. Then, in high school, after the data confirmed the approach worked. The goal is all 50 state systems, but only at a pace the evidence supports.

Every new deployment also benefits from what was learned in previous ones. The AI guardrails, faculty control mechanisms, and privacy architecture refined in higher education carry directly into high school. Every new school is adopting infrastructure that has already been pressure-tested at the university level.

What results has Nectir produced across both high schools and higher education?

Across high schools and higher education, the data tells a consistent story:

• 98% daily active users at one high school, with 500+ messages per day
• A 7.5% increase in GPA campuswide after one term (Los Angeles Pacific University, peer-reviewed)
• A 13% rise in average final scores
• A 36% boost in intrinsic motivation to learn
• 74% of students reported a better learning experience
• At Foothill-De Anza College, student AI adoption surged from 18-30% to 73% when instructors actively supported the tool

Nectir is currently trusted by 80,000+ students across 100+ campuses, including a landmark partnership with California Community Colleges, serving 2.1 million students across 116+ campuses. The platform is fully FERPA- and SOC 2-compliant.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nectir AI

What is Nectir AI? Nectir AI is AI infrastructure purpose-built for schools. It gives colleges, universities, and high schools the ability to deploy AI Assistants across their campus that are fully controlled by faculty and administrators, integrated with existing learning management systems, and compliant with FERPA and SOC 2 standards. Nectir is currently trusted by 80,000+ students across 100+ campuses, including a landmark partnership with California Community Colleges, which serves 2.1 million students across 116+ campuses.

Does Nectir AI work in both K-12 and higher education? Yes. Nectir was built and validated in higher education with peer-reviewed research, then expanded into K-12 after the data confirmed the approach worked. The platform serves both high schools and colleges with the same faculty-controlled AI infrastructure, privacy architecture, and compliance standards (FERPA, SOC 2).

Can Nectir AI work with my school's existing LMS? Yes. Nectir integrates with existing learning management systems, enabling schools to deploy AI infrastructure without overhauling their current technology stack. Faculty can build AI Assistants that reference their own course materials, syllabi, and rubrics within the platform they already use.

How can I learn more about Nectir? Want to see what 98% student engagement looks like at your school? Schedule a demo, and our team will walk you through how Nectir works and what it looks like at schools like yours.