Access Academies

A nonprofit organization

Access was founded in 2005 by a small group of St. Louisans convinced that education was the most enduring path out of poverty. Embracing an innovative model that emphasized extended school days, a challenging enrichment curriculum, and hands-on counseling, they started the first Academy with 15 students in a single South City middle school. This academic year, Access served over 480 students in three partner middle schools, 40 high schools (including 21 partner college-prep high schools), and 45 colleges and post-secondary institutions across the country.

To date, Access has invested more than $8.2 million in scholarships to high school and college students and positively impacted more than 1,350 students in the St. Louis region. Ninety-eight percent of our graduates have been accepted to private, college-prep high schools; 99 percent graduate on time; and 96 percent are accepted to colleges, universities, or other post-secondary institutions.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Access Academies:

• Supported 488 students and graduates with 11+ years of in-person and remote mentoring, guidance, and advocacy.
• Funded over $781,000 in high school tuition scholarships and fees.
•. Doubled the maximum amount of the Access College Scholarship from $3,500 to $6,500 over the course of a student's four-year college career. This year, we awarded the scholarship to 54 collegians and have now provided over $71,600 in scholarship funding since 2020.
• Organized 7 college visits for each Access student from 6th to 12th grade.
• Helped Access students and their families apply for the My Missouri Scholarship Promise Program and set up MOST 529 college savings accounts.
• Helped raise the composite ACT score of our high school students by an average of three points through 60 hours of weekend instruction.
• Launched Access 2 College,' a new college-prep program that guides Access' high school juniors and seniors through four areas of study: writing, leadership, career exploration, and college planning.
• Provided 175 Academy middle school students with over 1,035 hours of critical extended-day and summer enrichment instruction designed to bolster core subjects and teach new skills.
• Outfitted each of our rising 9th graders with $400 in uniforms, backpacks, and school supplies.

Mission

Access propels middle school students who have been historically underserved through high school and on to college and career success with enrichment, counseling, and scholarships.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Access Academies

Tax id (EIN)

20-3443231

Mission/Purpose

Education, Education - K-12, Education - Higher Ed

Operating Budget

Medium: $1,000,001 - $2,000,000

Service Area

St Louis City

Audiences Served

Immigrants, Refugees, Foreign-Born Populations, Children, Youth, Families, Teens

BILPOC Leadership

BILPOC Leadership

Address

3500 Lindell Boulevard Fitzgerald Hall, Room 200
Saint Louis, MO 63103

Phone

314-898-0430