Achievement First reviews

3.1

35% would recommend to a friend

(999 total reviews)
avatar

Fatimah Barker

39% approve of CEO

21% positive business outlook

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
Apr 10, 2025

Worst Place to Work

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Once you leave AF, every other job feels like a breeze

Cons

-No lunch breaks (you are told to eat on your prep and some days you could have zero prep and therefore no time to eat) -Long hours -Incompetent administration -Incompetent colleagues -Low pay -Nepotism is rampant -35 to 1 student to teacher ratio -Cliquey

5.0
Apr 2, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Atmosphere and welcoming environment= amazing

Cons

No cons at this time

1.0
Mar 27, 2025

It use to be a good place

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You meet some really great people at this organization and form relationships for the rest of your life.

Cons

I do not recommend working for Achievement First (AF). While the organization once thrived under its founding leadership, it has unraveled under the current administration. There’s a persistent lack of transparency—leaders claim to care about staff, but repeated actions show otherwise. In 2024, AF conducted a major layoff that impacted many network leaders, followed by another in 2025 that eliminated key roles, including the Chief of Schools. These decisions point to deeper financial and organizational instability. More troubling, the organization seems to have lost its identity. There’s no clear sense of who they are or what they stand for. As a result, there are constant shifts in direction, as leadership chases the latest trend rather than building a stable, mission-driven foundation. The culture is unstable, and the lack of consistency makes it a difficult environment to work in. Proceed with caution.

Viewing 40 - 42 of 999 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,021 Achievement First reviews submitted anonymously by Achievement First employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Achievement First is right for you.