As we kick off 2026, we’re taking a moment to reflect on 2025—a year of meaningful growth and innovation at Cirkled In. Cirkled In‘s mission remains unwavering: to make educational pathways more accessible and navigable for every student, from high school through college and career.

While the education sector faced significant challenges in 2025—from budget cuts and shifting policies to enrollment pressures leading to college closures—we deepened our commitment to empowering students, families, schools, and college partners with solutions that make a real difference.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s what we achieved together and where we’re headed.

---

Education in Transition: Meeting the Moment

The education landscape shifted dramatically in 2025, creating both challenges and opportunities:

K-12 Schools Face Capacity Crisis
High school counselors are managing unprecedented caseloads—national ratios average 385 students per counselor, far above the recommended 250:1. In some states, ratios reach 667:1. Federal funding cuts have forced schools to find efficient solutions that don’t require additional staff.

Cirkled In helps by streamlining portfolio tracking, scholarship matching, and college prep—acting as a digital force multiplier for overwhelmed counselors.

Higher Education’s Enrollment Challenge
Colleges face a perfect storm: demographic shifts reducing domestic student populations, international enrollment down 17%, and growing questions about college ROI. The result? Undergraduate enrollment declined 6%+, 73 colleges closed in 2023-24, and forecasts predict 80+ more closures by 2029.

Cirkled In provides colleges with holistic student portfolios and best-fit matches through a cost-effective recruitment pipeline, including Direct Admit.

Digital Transformation Accelerates
Both K-12 and higher education are rapidly adopting EdTech and AI tools to improve efficiency and outcomes. Cirkled In sits at the intersection of these needs—connecting students to opportunities while helping institutions work smarter.

---

2025 Growth: Organic Reach & Deepening Impact

We’re proud to share that Cirkled In’s growth in 2025 was entirely organic—meaning students, counselors, and colleges chose our platform without paid advertising driving them there.

By the Numbers:

• 1.3 million students now use Cirkled In to navigate their educational journey
• 4 million student activities documented—achievements that were previously invisible to decision-makers
• 275,000+ colleges added to student favorites lists
• 50,000+ monthly active users spending 3X more time on Cirkled In platform than industry benchmarks

School Adoption:
Schools nationwide continue adopting Cirkled In as their 21st century College and Career Readiness solution. Our first high school customer renewed their agreement for their 7th consecutive year—a testament to lasting value.

College Integration & Recognition:
More and more colleges are asking students to include their Cirkled In profile link in applications, including via the Common App. We’re proud to provide a 360-degree view of candidates to college recruiters, enhancing admissions decision-making.

What This Means:
Students are finding value in documenting their accomplishments, exploring colleges, and planning their futures. Counselors have a tool that extends their capacity. Colleges are discovering qualified prospects who are actively engaged in their college search.

---

Product Innovation: Building What Educators and Students Need

This year, we delivered meaningful product upgrades based on direct feedback from counselors, college admissions teams, and students—addressing the needs of overwhelmed counselors and digitally-native students alike.

For Students:

• Resource Library – 600+ articles, videos, and guides on college prep, financial literacy, and career readiness
• Enhanced navigation – Redesigned interface making it easier to explore colleges, scholarships, jobs, and internships
• Gamification – New points system and student dashboard to build positive habits
• Popular Colleges tool – Discover schools by major and location

For Counselors:

• Better search and management tools for handling large student caseloads
• Streamlined workflows for portfolio reviews and recommendations

For Colleges:

• Human-Directed Direct Admit & Guaranteed Admissions – Game-changing feature enabling instant, validated admission decisions while maintaining quality standards
• Enhanced prospect search and recruitment tools

---

Learning from the Field: NACAC 2025

At NACAC 2025, we spent time  listening to counselors and college representatives about what’s changing in admissions and student support. These conversations continue to shape how we build Cirkled In—grounded in real educator feedback and real student challenges.

We also share these insights publicly to benefit the broader education community.

Read more: Cirkled In – NACAC 2025 – 7 Key Takeaways

---

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we enter 2026, we’re energized not just by the momentum we’ve built, but by the opportunity ahead to support more students, schools, and college partners navigating an evolving education landscape.

Our commitment remains clear:

• Make educational pathways accessible for every student
• Provide tools that reduce administrative burden for counselors
• Help colleges connect with right-fit students efficiently
• Continue innovating based on what our community tells us they need

The challenges facing education aren’t going away—but neither is our commitment to building solutions that matter.

Thank you for your support, partnership, and shared belief in the power of education to transform lives. We couldn’t do this without you.

Here’s to making 2026 amazing—together.

— The Cirkled In Team

💰 New for 2026: We just launched our $2,500 No Sweat Scholarship! Students can apply now through our platform. Learn more →