Does Achievement First pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Achievement First employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Achievement First. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Achievement First?

35% of Achievement First employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Achievement First 2.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.1 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Achievement First?

Teacher (267) , Lead Teacher (34) , Academic Dean (20) , Teacher In Residence (20) , English Teacher (18) , Student Services Manager (17) , Math Teacher (14) , Dean (13) , Dean of Students (13) , Middle School Math Teacher (12) , Special Education Teacher (12) , Middle School Teacher (9) , Director (8) , Office Coordinator (8) , Associate Director (6)

What are the pros of working at Achievement First according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is good and beneficial" ((in 74 reviews)); "You meet some really great people at this organization and form relationships for the rest of your life." ((in 50 reviews)); "Competitive salary depending on number of years and education Day to day truly depends on the specific school" ((in 40 reviews)); "Good Professional Development" ((in 36 reviews)); "Great coaching during live teaching and documented summary provided." ((in 25 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Achievement First according to real employee reviews?

"No work life balance and a high" ((in 106 reviews)); "Long hours and overly tolerant of negative student behaviors." ((in 76 reviews)); "Poor leadership, and low staff retention" ((in 34 reviews)); "Long hours (9 hours a day required for teachers)" ((in 22 reviews)); "Poor management." ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about Achievement First layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Achievement First layoffs and their outlook for job security at Achievement First in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Achievement First locations?

Brooklyn , New York , New Haven , Providence , Hartford , Bridgeport , Bushwick , Crown Heights , Cranston , East New York , North Providence , Binghamton , Queensbury , Stanfordville , Tempe , Hamden , New Orleans , Warwick , Miami , Boston , Savannah , Grand Chute , Brooklyn , Brownsville

Achievement First reviews

3.1

35% would recommend to a friend

(999 total reviews)

Fatimah Barker

39% approve of CEO

21% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (999 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Achievement First has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 999 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Achievement First employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

999 reviews

1.0

May 14, 2019

Not a good program

Teacher in residence

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I will say that I met some cool people

Cons

-Professional Development is anything but professional. You spend your day at work having had no formal training teaching, and you spend your nights at Relay--a "grad school" that is anything but credible. What a waste.

2.0

May 9, 2019

Great mission, but execution misfires

Network support

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

*This applies to Network Support employees; I cannot speak for our teachers: - Feeling good about working at a very mission-driven organization - Decent work/life balance, flexibility to work from home - Coworkers are generally kind, friendly, and really care about our kids

Cons

- Tries to be democratic, but actually run in a pretty top-down way - People here to love to generate ideas and brainstorm, but following through on execution is protracted, painful, and usually not successful - Disorganized systems - there are tons of network-wide long emails, floating Google Docs and Sheets, etc. - Very formal/rigid meeting and email structures - Pay is not too great (expected for a non-profit though)

4.0

May 7, 2019

Overall great experience

Music teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Leadership is receptive to feedback, employee concerns are addressed, very supportive of working parents, network is working toward making this job sustainable for a healthy work/life balance.

Cons

As a specials teacher, my schedule is subject to change during testing season, there needs to be more of a focus on social-emotional learning at the elementary level, and as with all charter schools, the days are long!

Viewing 640 - 642 of 999 Reviews

Jobs at Achievement First

2026-2027 (NY) Academic Dean-History/Science

2026-2027 (CT) Dean of Special Services

2026-2027 (CT) Academic Dean of STEM

RI Middle School History Teacher (2026-27)

2026-2027 (NY) Academic Dean -Math