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NextWaveSTEM Review

Depends

Should I use NextWaveSTEM?

Award-winning K–12 STEAM & CTE curricula with free PD, teacher training & hands-on STEM learning using emerging technology. - nextwavestem.com

· 1 month ago

A fit for districts and grant-funded schools wanting turn-key STEM/CTE courses bundled with hardware and teacher training. Skip it if you need transparent pricing, a single course, or a vendor with a long track record.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; independent customer reviews were scarce.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

All-in-One License

Not published — quote / purchase order

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • K-12 districts building STEM/CTE pathways
  • Schools spending Perkins or 21st Century grants
  • Schools lacking certified STEM teachers
  • Title I / under-resourced schools

Not for

  • Teachers wanting one cheap course or single lesson units
  • Buyers needing transparent, self-serve pricing
  • Districts already committed to PLTW pathways
  • Non-US schools — funding alignment is US-grant specific

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Pricing is quote/PO-only — no budgeting without a sales call

medium

License scope (per teacher, school, or student?) is not published

medium

Guess: drones, robotics, and 3D-printing hardware may add costs beyond the license

medium

Small vendor; a multi-year curriculum bet carries continuity risk

Pros and cons

Pros

  • One license includes 40+ STEM courses across K-12
  • Free teacher PD and training bundled in
  • Turn-key: curriculum, hardware kits, and training ship together
  • Aligned to Perkins and 21st Century grant funding
  • 'We Teach' program supplies instructors where schools lack STEM teachers

Cons

  • No published pricing; buying requires quotes or purchase orders
  • Scarce public customer reviews; Glassdoor's 9 are employee reviews
  • Educators publicly question whether price beats PLTW
  • Tiny vendor (~$261.5K funding) for multi-district commitments

Sources & method

- 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x6review x3security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • Not published — quote / purchase order

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Quote-only pricing; value vs PLTW publicly debated
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Turn-key kits, ready-to-teach courses per partners
  • Feature depth: 4/5. 40+ courses, K-12, hardware and PD included
  • Support quality: 3/5. Free PD and instructor staffing offered; unverified
  • Security posture: 3/5. Student privacy filing exists; little public detail
  • 40+ Courses per license One license, per vendor FAQ
  • K-12 Grade coverage STEAM and CTE programs
  • 9 Glassdoor reviews Employee reviews, not customers
  • $261.5K Funding Crunchbase estimate

Pricing

All-in-One License

Not published — quote / purchase order

  • 40+ STEM courses
  • Hardware kits and curriculum
  • Teacher PD included

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Independent customer reviews are scarce — most reviews are employee ones, and educators on Facebook debate its price versus PLTW.

Companies that use it

  • Washtenaw ISD⁶
  • Epic Academy
  • Hazelwood School District (MO)
  • Chicago Public Schools
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; independent customer reviews were scarce.

Turn-key K-12 STEM curriculum with kits for grant-funded schools; quote-only pricing and a tiny vendor make this a depends, not a buy.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; independent customer reviews were scarce.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. NextWaveSTEM homepagenextwavestem.com
    official
  2. NextWaveSTEM course catalognextwavestem.com
    official
  3. NextWaveSTEM FAQs / supportnextwavestem.com
    official
  4. NextWaveSTEM Request P.O.nextwavestem.com
    official
  5. Perkins grant alignmentnextwavestem.com
    official
  6. Washtenaw ISD drones pathway case studynextwavestem.com
    official
  7. NextWaveSTEM Glassdoor reviewsglassdoor.com
    review
  8. NextWaveSTEM Indeed employee reviewsindeed.com
    review
  9. CTE Teachers Facebook: price vs PLTWfacebook.com
    review
  10. NextWaveSTEM Crunchbase profilecrunchbase.com
    news
  11. SDPC student data privacy supplemental infosdpc.a4l.org
    security
  12. D. Stewart STEAM Resource Guide 2026marketing.dstewart.com
    news

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