Access Academies

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 serves over 454 students in three partner middle schools, 33 high schools (including 24 partner college-prep high schools), and 49 colleges and post-secondary institutions across the country.

To date, Access has invested more than $9 million in scholarships to high school and college students and positively impacted more than 1,400 students in the St. Louis region. Ninety-eight percent of our graduates have been accepted to private, college-prep high schools; 97 percent graduate on time; and 93 percent are accepted to colleges, universities, or other post-secondary institutions.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Access Academies:

•Supported 454 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 59 collegians and have provided over $99,050 in scholarship funding since 2020.
• Organized 9 college visits for each Access student from 8th 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.