Xello vs. SchooLinks, which best serves student and district needs?

Xello is

A personalized, full K–12 solution

Xello is the whole-district CCR solution that grows along with your students. From kindergarten to grade 12, Xello encourages self-discovery, exploration, goal setting and plans. SchooLinks’ one-size-fits-all approach for elementary falls short of making it a full K–12 program.

Xello

SchooLinks

Relevant content and activities

Engaging K-2 and 3-5 modules with animation, characters, stories, and gamification.

A single K-5 experience designed to cater to all elementary grades, despite differences in capabilities and learning goals.

Research-backed and tested

Thoroughly researched, classroom tested, and enjoyed by students in over 3,500 schools across the US (and counting).

SchooLinks checks boxes but features can be surface-level, leading to low student engagement.

All student, all pathways support

Students can build a plan not only for college, but also for the military, apprenticeships, and direct-to-work, ensuring no student is left behind.

Mainly focused on the needs of 4-year college-bound students, leaving many students underserved and underrepresented.

Cross-curricular portfolios

Students can create cross-curricular portfolios they’re proud to showcase. They can easily create portfolios for subject areas, culminating projects and internship or job applications.

Limited to one basic profile that can't showcase the breadth of student skills and ambitions.

Xello is

Fully accessible & inclusive

Xello’s vibrant, easy to use program is fully accessible and inclusive for all students, families, and educators across all devices. SchooLinks’ accessibility gaps don’t meet students where they are—and limit their possibilities.

Xello

SchooLinks

Available on all devices

Every Xello feature and function is optimized for all devices, including mobile devices.

Not all features are available on a mobile device, and those that are available are not optimized for mobile use.

Exceeds accessibility standards

Committed to delivering an equitable experience for all, Xello exceeds the rigorous software accessibility standards, such as WCAG 2.1 Level AA, to which K–12 must comply.

Does not meet many of the most basic accessibility requirements including color contrast ratios, keyboard navigation, and video captioning.

Professionally translated content

Professionally translated to Spanish, ensuring the experience feels natural to native Spanish speakers.

Google-translated to Spanish, providing inconsistent or incomplete translations, misspelled words, and an impersonal tone.

Age-appropriate reading level

For ease of understanding reading level is at or below grade level, with read-aloud support readily available.

Reading level is consistently above grade level, meaning content can be less engaging, and less inclusive for all.

Diversity and representation

Offers over 600 career profiles with an intentional focus on diversity, ensuring students from all backgrounds feel included and represented.

Career profiles do not meet the same diversity standards and feature stock content, which may not resonate with every student.

Xello is

Recognized for having the best client support in EdTech

Think of us as an extension of your district. Xello’s CODiE-award winning program gives districts complete access to dedicated client support and meaningful collaboration— something SchooLinks just can’t match.

Xello

SchooLinks

A trusted, dependable partner

Trusted by states across the country to collaborate and meet college and career readiness mandates.

Not currently partnered with any state-level entities.

Engaging PD, at no extra cost

All-inclusive training and PD resources like Xello Academy allow educators to take their CCR programming to the next level.

Equivalent training may cost extra.

World-class day-to-day support

Award-winning client solutions team dedicated to supporting districts when they need it, plus a comprehensive, online resource library.

Comprehensive support may come at an extra cost, plus online resource library is limited.

Xello is

Complete with high quality features and workflows

Xello consistently delivers the highest quality features and workflows that districts can count on. SchooLinks prioritizes rapid growth, which results in a superficial approach to College and Career Readiness and gaps in mission critical areas.

Xello

SchooLinks

Robust, integrated curriculum

Fully-integrated CCR curriculum with interactive lessons that have been developed in collaboration with educators and thoroughly tested.

SchooLinks’ Chapters mix third-party, freely available YouTube videos with simple completion activities that don’t integrate with the student experience.

Quality of student experience

High-quality student experience is the result of a long standing commitment to research and design excellence.

Student experience is inconsistent, difficult to navigate, and missing basic elements like a global search.

Research-based assessments

Assessments are researched, reliable and valid, providing students with easy-to-understand feedback on careers and pathways.

Assessments match students to clusters of careers and like-minded celebrities, missing the mark on why occupations may or may not be suitable.

Reliable course planning functionality

A continually refined and improved experience, trusted by thousands of districts for their course planning and selection process.

Functionality is still maturing and is missing critical elements.

Data security and privacy best practices

Only Xello offers robust enterprise-grade privacy and security controls, consistently validated by respected third parties through annual audits for SOC2 and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications.

No tangible evidence of external security audit or verification.

What Educators Say

Students and Educators Love Xello — But Don’t Take Our Word for It!

Why Students and Educators Love Xello

Client Testimonials

Hear From Districts That Switched to Xello

Making the switch to Xello was a big step for our district, but the support we received from the Xello team to relaunch as a full K-12 program was unparalleled. Our students are excited to discover and explore their college and career options. I wish we’d done it sooner!

Melody Coryell

Director of Academics and Pathways

Indianapolis Public Schools

After vetting six other software providers, Naviance included, we knew we were in good hands with Xello. Their innovative student interface stands out, for sure, but it’s the support of people who act as real program partners that made our decision to switch that much easier.

Jason Luke

CTE Director

Kalamazoo Regional Service Agency

Why Choose Xello over SchooLinks?

Because it's trusted by school districts nation-wide to engage all their students in accessible, high quality and age-appropriate career development.

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Xello is for everyone.

Xello is

A personalized, full K–12 solution

See how Xello's personalized, full K-12 approach helps districts achieve their goals.

Xello is

Fully accessible & inclusive

See how Xello's accessible, inclusive approach meets every student where they are.

Xello is

Recognized for having the best client support in EdTech

See how Xello's customer processes and passion elevate the performance of all our partners.

Xello is

Complete with high quality features and workflows

See how Xello's quality and depth provide you with the best CCR product on the market today.

Students and Educators Love Xello — But Don’t Take Our Word for It!

Hear From Districts That Switched to Xello

Melody Coryell

Jason Luke

Why Choose Xello over SchooLinks?

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