Teach For America
Recruiting and training teachers for under-resourced schools across the United States
Our editorial assessment
TFA is one of the most debated education organisations in the United States — and that debate itself reflects the organisation's significance. Since 1990, TFA has placed 60,000+ highly talented recent graduates in under-resourced schools for two-year teaching commitments. Research on TFA teacher effectiveness shows mixed but generally positive results in math instruction, with less clear outcomes in other subjects. TFA's most significant long-term impact may be the pipeline of education leaders it has created: TFA alumni include school principals, district superintendents, education policymakers, and founders of prominent charter school networks. Their programme spending ratio of 78% is lower than average, reflecting the costs of recruitment, training, and support for first-year teachers. For donors who believe systemic education reform requires human capital investment, TFA remains the largest and most influential pipeline.
The problem they're solving
The US education system faces a persistent teacher shortage in low-income communities. Schools in these areas struggle to recruit talented educators, creating an equity gap that compounds other disadvantages. TFA addresses this gap while building a movement of leaders committed to educational equity.
About Teach For America
Teach For America has placed 60,000+ teachers in 3,000+ under-resourced schools since 1990.
Where your dollar goes
What your donation could do
Your $100 helps recruit and support teachers for under-resourced schools.
Illustrative estimate based on figures this organisation publishes about its own programs — not a statement from the charity itself. Actual impact varies by program and year.
What donors say about Teach For America
Donors signed in with Google can rate Teach For America from one to five stars and share a short review of their experience — whether as a donor, volunteer, or beneficiary. Community ratings are displayed as their own criterion alongside our editorial metrics; they never alter the editorial 0–100 score.
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How this score was produced
The Charity Ranking score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. The community rating shown above is a separate signal contributed by signed-in donors; it is displayed alongside our criteria but never feeds into the editorial score. Read the full methodology →