NextEd

What NextEd does

NextEd, LLC is a privately held professional services firm headquartered in Sedalia, Colorado, founded in 2021 to deliver leadership and organizational consulting exclusively to Christian K-12 schools across the United States. The firm is structured as a partnership of six senior practitioners — all former or current Heads of School whose combined 170+ years of operating experience, $120M+ of school budgets managed, and $450M raised in capital campaigns form the firm's primary credential. NextEd offers seven discrete service lines: Retained Executive Search, Contingency Search, Strategic Planning, Board Governance, Long-Range Financial Planning, Coaching and Mentorship, and School Consulting. Engagements are project-based and quote-priced, ranging from pay-on-hire contingency placements to multi-month strategic planning and governance engagements.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform, software product, or API; delivery is entirely human-led, leveraging the partners' personal networks and their structural influence in industry bodies — most notably CESA, where multiple partners hold founding, charter, or former board chair positions, alongside roles at ACSI, CAPE, ISACS, and state private school associations. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: direct outreach to Christian school boards, heads of school, and HR directors, supplemented by a content-marketing layer (Insights blog and LinkedIn). Since 2021, NextEd has served 74 cumulative schools, placed 43 school leaders, delivered 12 strategic plans, and recorded 28 repeat partnerships, with 41 schools served in a record 2025-26 year. There is no disclosed external funding, parent company, or subsidiary structure; the LLC is partner-owned and self-funded.

Name

NextEd

Legal name

NextEd, LLC

Website

https://next-ed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NextEd is a Colorado-based, partner-led consulting firm founded in 2021 that delivers executive search, strategic planning, governance, financial planning, and coaching services exclusively to U.S. Christian K-12 schools, drawing on six former Heads of School with 170+ years of collective leadership experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Executive Search Services (561312), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Strategic planning consulting
• Board governance advisory
• School leadership coaching
• Financial planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sedalia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: NextEd generates revenue through project-based and retainer consulting engagements for Christian schools, including executive search services (both retained and contingency models), strategic planning, coaching, consulting, board governance support, and long-range financial planning. Services are tailored to each school's needs and delivered by experienced former school leaders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NextEd is a consulting firm serving Christian schools through executive search (retained and contingency), strategic planning, board governance support, coaching, project-based consulting, and long-range financial planning. All services are delivered by a partnership of six current and former Heads of School with over 170 years of combined education leadership experience, and engagements are grounded in Christ-centered mission alignment. The firm operates nationwide across the United States and sells advisory engagements directly to school boards, school leaders, and HR directors.

Product overview

NextEd is a consulting firm—not a software platform—that offers a portfolio of seven distinct service offerings. The core services are: Retained Executive Search (full-service leadership recruitment with retainer), Contingency Search (pay-only-on-hire model for non-executive roles), Strategic Planning, Board Governance, Long-Range Financial Planning, Coaching and Mentorship, and School Consulting. All services are grounded in biblical values and delivered by a team of former Heads of School with over 170 years of combined experience in Christian education. There is no unified software platform, SaaS product, or API-based offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retained Executive Search A customized, prayerful executive search process designed to help Christian schools find mission-aligned leadership candidates who fit both on paper and in personality. Delivered by a team of former Heads of School for Boards and Head of School positions.
• Contingency Search A flexible, results-based recruitment service for non-executive leadership positions such as division principals, directors of admissions, advancement, and curriculum, where schools pay only upon successful hire.
• Strategic Planning Collaborative planning engagements that help Christian schools clarify vision, set priorities, and build actionable roadmaps for growth and sustainability. Delivered by former Heads of School using a facilitation-led approach.
• Board Governance Training, retreats, and structured support that equips school boards to operate with clarity, purpose, and healthy governance practices aligned with biblical values. Includes board retreats and ongoing governance advisory.
• Long-Range Financial Planning Tuition modeling, multi-year forecasting, and scenario-based financial planning to help Christian schools sustain mission and margin. Supports long-term financial sustainability and capital planning decisions.
• Coaching and Mentorship One-on-one coaching for school leaders in any season, provided by former Heads of School with real operating experience, grounded in biblical wisdom and relational trust. Available for current and aspiring Christian school leaders.
• School Consulting Project-based consulting for specific challenges including organizational structure, culture, crisis recovery, communication, board-Head relationships, and school start-ups. Custom-scoped to each school's situation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74 schools served since 2021, with 43 school leaders placed, 12 strategic plans delivered, and 28 repeat partnerships
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CESA (Council on Educational Standards and Accountability)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple NextEd partners hold leadership positions in CESA, including founding board roles. Randy Brunk is founding board chair, Gary Arnold is former board chair, Steve O'Neil is charter board member, and Jay Ferguson is former board chair. CESA is the nation's leading network of Christian schools focused on excellence standards. NextEd team members actively shape CESA's standards and initiatives, creating deep integration between NextEd's services and CESA's accreditation and standards framework.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated education and social enterprise practice. Competes with NextEd for senior education leader searches as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a dedicated education practice. Larger incumbent that occasionally competes for school leadership searches but also serves broader corporate and nonprofit mandates.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with executive search capabilities across multiple industries including education. Larger incumbent competitor for high-end school leadership searches.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with an education and nonprofit practice. Competes with NextEd for senior leadership mandates at independent schools and education nonprofits.

Direct peers

• AGB Search: Executive search practice affiliated with the Association of Governing Boards, focused on higher education and independent school leadership. Comparable to NextEd's retained search for institutional leaders.
• Isaacson Miller: Leading executive search firm dedicated to education, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Comparable to NextEd in retained search methodology and education-vertical focus, though it serves a broader mission beyond Christian schools.
• CarterBaldwin Executive Search: Executive search firm serving education, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations. Comparable to NextEd in mission-driven K-12 leadership recruitment and retained search delivery.
• SeltzerFontaine: Executive search firm dedicated to education and nonprofit leadership. Similar boutique positioning to NextEd in retained search for K-12 and higher education institutions.
• Carney, Sandoe & Associates: Long-established executive search firm focused on independent, private, and faith-based schools. Directly comparable to NextEd's retained and contingency search services for mission-aligned K-12 leadership roles.
• Greenwood/Asher & Associates: Executive search firm focused on K-12 and higher education leadership. Directly comparable to NextEd's retained search practice for school leaders and university administrators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nexted-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NextEd