ST. LOUIS AND KANSAS CITY, MO., December 10, 2025—This week Teach For America announced that its St. Louis and Kansas City sites will merge to become Teach For America Missouri.

Teach For America recruits, develops, and supports a broad network of leaders who are committed to expanding educational opportunity for students in low-income communities. The organization has operated in St. Louis since 2002 and in Kansas City since 2008 with high levels of community engagement and support, and in that time has placed over 2,000 educators in schools in low-income communities across both cities. In 2022, the organization also launched Teach For America Ignite, a high-impact, near-peer tutoring model that accelerates learning and deepens student engagement. The organization also hosts a broad suite of programming for career educators, including for aspiring school leaders.

The move to a statewide region will enable the organization to broaden its footprint and help maximize talent pipelines across the state, from teachers to tutors. This body of work will be led by current Teach For America Kansas City Executive Director Julie Gronquist.

“Uniting the Kansas City and St. Louis regions into a single, statewide region allows us to build on the success we’ve had in the last 2 decades, deepening our impact while beginning to serve students in other areas of Missouri,” said Gronquist. “This is a meaningful opportunity for our team to build on the impact and success we’ve experienced in Kansas City and St. Louis, and to continue innovating alongside community partners, ensuring that one day, all students across Missouri have access to an excellent education.”

This year in Missouri Teach For America has over 40 educators serving in their teaching corps, impacting approximately 2,800 students. Across the state, the number of Teach For America alumni surpasses 1,000, with ~500 of those continuing to work in education, and the organization is actively recruiting its next class of educators to serve in St. Louis and Kansas City for the 2026-2027 school year.

“Our decision to unite as a statewide region reflects our deep commitment to the students and communities we serve. As one organization, we can bring a more cohesive vision, unlock new opportunities for investment, and ensure that across Missouri, communities benefit from the talent and leadership Teach For America cultivates,” said Dan Huebner, Head of Region in St. Louis.

Teach For America Missouri will continue its statewide focus on 3rd-grade literacy as well as additional specialized work around 8th-grade math in St. Louis.

National data on learning loss, absenteeism, and declining trust in K-12 education reveal deep concerns about the state of education nationwide. But every day, Teach For America sees academic progress and bright spots across classrooms and communities that prove what is possible, led by a generation of young people who want to be part of that change.

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with communities across the country to reach One Day when every child has access to an excellent education. Founded in 1990, Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a growing network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that impact a young person’s education. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 75,000 alumni, corps members, and Ignite fellows working in pursuit of profound change so that one day every child has the opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads.

Contact:
Rachel Tennenbaum
408.250.2877
rachel.tennenbaum@teachforamerica.org