Although Xavier founded his Institute quite a number of years ago, Xavier only recruited a handful of students initially, not really having the staff or the experience dealing with young mutants to handle too many children at once. As his initial group of students (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Emma Frost, Storm and Beast) graduated high school, then college, and started returning to the fold, he realized that he easily had enough people, equipped with advanced training in their abilities, who could help shepherd the next generation of mutants towards being able to fully integrate with humanity and to gain a degree of control, if not a full one, of their powers. Thus, a little over a year ago, he changed the name from the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning to the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters and began aggressively searching the world for mutants in need of the help that he and his proteges could provide.

Since the school's doors opened, there has been an influx of mutant students in need, and although a few required more resources than the school could provide and were sent to the Muir Island facility, the student body has grown rapidly.

Just as fall was truly settling in, the school was infiltrated by a mutant, Mimic, who masqueraded as a student at the school, Longshot, and helped to observe the mutant Rogue. When the time was right, the Brotherhood of Mutants kidnapped the power-stealing mutant and attempted to use her, in conjunction with two other mutants who could copy people's powers, on a tri-pronged attack against sensitive human governmental targets. Only the intercession of the students and faculty of Xaviers were the attacks prevented, but the machines intended to help fuel the chaos were recovered by the government, and it was made public that they were obviously designed for mutants.

The Mutant Registration Act is continuing to gain support across the United States, and just two weeks after the All Hallows Dance, where the school hosted students from Muir Island, the school has been attacked by an unknown enemy, with waves of soldiers and helicopters overtaking the grounds of the school and attempting to 'bag and tag' as many of the students as possible!