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 3.0 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 69 reviews)); "You meet some really great people at this organization and form relationships for the rest of your life." ((in 46 reviews)); "Competitive salary depending on number of years and education Day to day truly depends on the specific school" ((in 42 reviews)); "Good Professional Development" ((in 35 reviews)); "Teachers and educational staff are great" ((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 103 reviews)); "Long hours and overly tolerant of negative student behaviors." ((in 78 reviews)); "Misalignment from network level down to teachers and incompetent leadership at some schools/staff shortages" ((in 36 reviews)); "Long hours (9 hours a day required for teachers)" ((in 19 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

3.0

35% would recommend to a friend

(999 total reviews)

Fatimah Barker

39% approve of CEO

21% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Achievement First has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 999 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average 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

3.0

Oct 3, 2022

Company

Student services manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Achievement First provides excellent pathways for career growth.

Cons

It's hard to balance work/life.

3.0

Sep 27, 2022

Only for a year!

Teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good training for new teachers.

Cons

Overworked, loong, long days. Expectation is that this is your entire life. "Lean in" is an understatement for the ages! Bullying between staff, impossible expectations, feels like kids are just a data point. No support, protection, or advocacy for LGBTQ students. Exhausting. Appartently in the early days they had great success. (THey also had class sizes half of what they are now)

3.0

Sep 26, 2022

Great vacations/terrible insurance

Student service manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Get all vacations throughout the school year, get two weeks off in the summer. Working with kids, an wear sneakers to work, can move up quickly, friendly staff.

Cons

Get pulled for hours a day to help with other tasks so work time window is cut by 2-3 hours a day. Need to stay late to make up time. Health insurance is not great, high deductibles. Upper management can be micromanagers, might be talked to like you are a kid. Staff is very young so they over work then get burned out. Staff lasts about 2 years. High turnover rate. I saw Spanish speaker inc staff got taken advantage of for no extra pay but more responsibilities and work.

Viewing 247 - 249 of 999 Reviews

Jobs at Achievement First

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

CT College Counselor-Hartford 2026-27

2026-2027 (NY) Academic Dean -Math

2026-2027 (NY) Academic Dean

RI 2026-2027 Academic Dean