Teach St. Louis
Teach St. Louis is a St. Louis-based nonprofit founded in 2018 that runs the region's first teacher residency, alternative certification, and teacher leadership programs in partnership with Washington University and 58 schools across 16 districts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSaint Louis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Teach St. Louis does
Teach St. Louis (legally St. Louis Teacher Residency) is a St. Louis-based nonprofit founded in 2018 that runs the first teacher residency program in the St. Louis region. The organization recruits, trains, and supports educators for public and charter schools, addressing a regional attrition problem where roughly 40% of new teachers exit within their first three years. Its core offering is a portfolio of three interconnected programs: a full-year Residency Program that combines classroom apprenticeship with Master's-level coursework; an Alternative Certification Program for already-employed lead teachers seeking initial certification; and a Teacher Leadership Program offering a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (30 credits) or a Certificate in Instructional Excellence. The Boundless Educators Initiative (BEI), run with the National Center for Teacher Residencies, layers tuition forgiveness on top of the federal TEACH Grant to recruit candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.
The underlying methodology — "Learn, Practice, Teach" — pairs graduate coursework with instructional coaching, classroom observation, and a cohort-based peer model. All Master's-level credit is delivered through Washington University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies at $440 per credit hour, while partner districts contribute a $6,000 per-participant training and support fee. Teach St. Louis has trained 247 teachers since inception who collectively have taught 38,745 students across 58 partner schools in 16 districts. Documented outcomes include an 86% graduate persistence rate as lead teachers in high-needs classrooms, 90% principal satisfaction, and 1.5 years of average reading growth for students taught by graduates.
The revenue model mixes program tuition (partially offset by TEACH and BEI grants), district partner support fees, and philanthropic donations accepted via a GiveLively online portal. Go-to-market is community- and partnership-led rather than sales-led: candidates are recruited through interest forms, university partnerships, and information sessions, then placed exclusively inside partner schools and districts. The organization operates with a team of 19 employees led by founder and Executive Director Laura Vilines.
Teach St. Louis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Teach St. Louis
- Legal name
- St. Louis Teacher Residency
- Website
- https://teachstlouis.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Teach St. Louis is a St. Louis-based nonprofit founded in 2018 that runs the region's first teacher residency, alternative certification, and teacher leadership programs in partnership with Washington University and 58 schools across 16 districts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Teach St. Louis industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Teacher Education & Certification
- NAICS
- Educational Services (61), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative Teacher Certification & Licensure Programs (EDAHAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early Childhood & Elementary Teacher Preparation Programs (EDAHAFAG), Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)
Keywords
Where Teach St. Louis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Louis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Teach St. Louis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Program Tuition: Tuition revenue from residency and certification programs ($440 per credit hour, 36 credits for residency/alternative certification programs). Total program cost of $15,840 per participant.
- Philanthropic Donations: Individual and organizational donations supporting teacher development and educational equity in St. Louis. Donations accepted through online portal, stock transfers, donor-advised funds, and tribute gifts.
- Partner District Support Fees: Districts and schools that partner directly with Teach St. Louis subsidize the MATL by providing a training and support fee of $6,000 per participant.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Residency Program (36 credits) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Alternative Certification Program (36 credits) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Master of Arts in Teaching & Learning (30 credits) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Certificate in Instructional Excellence |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Teach St. Louis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Teach St. Louis recruits, trains, and supports educators through a full-year teacher residency program, an alternative certification pathway for currently employed lead teachers, and a Teacher Leadership Program offering a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning degree and a Certificate in Instructional Excellence. Programs blend classroom apprenticeship with graduate-level coursework delivered through a Washington University in St. Louis partnership and include targeted instructional coaching and cohort-based learning. The Boundless Educators Initiative (BEI) provides additional financial support and community for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.
Product overview
Teach St. Louis is an educator preparation and development organization offering three interconnected programs: the Residency Program (a full-year apprenticeship for aspiring teachers), the Alternative Certification Program (for current lead teachers seeking initial certification), and the Teacher Leadership Program (advanced professional development with options for a Master's degree or Certificate through Washington University partnership). The Boundless Educators Initiative provides financial support and community for diverse educator candidates. All programs integrate graduate coursework with instructional coaching and cohort-based learning.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residency Program
- Alternative Certification Program
- Teacher Leadership Program (TLP)
- Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (MATL)
- Certificate in Instructional Excellence
- Boundless Educators Initiative (BEI)
Quantifiable outcome
- 247 teachers trained since 2018
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Teach St. Louis
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Teach St. Louis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Teach St. Louis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR)coreFounding partner that helped develop and launch the first teacher residency program in St. Louis. Teach St. Louis was born from this partnership with NCTR to develop a model focused on training aspiring teachers capable of accelerating student achievement. Currently partners on the Boundless Educators Initiative (BEI) to recruit diverse educators from underrepresented communities.
- Washington University in St. LouiscoreUniversity partnership through School of Continuing and Professional Studies providing Master's degree pathway (MATL). Residents and certification candidates enroll in graduate-level coursework leading to Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning. Tuition set at $440 per credit hour through this partnership.
- School District of University CitycoreDistrict partner where Teach St. Louis places residents and supports teachers. Schools within the district serve as training sites for residency program and employ program graduates.
- KIPP St. Louis Public SchoolscoreCharter school network partner providing placement sites for residents and employing program graduates as teachers. Former Director of K-8 Math and Science previously worked with KIPP St. Louis.
- Momentum AcademycoreSt. Louis charter school partner serving as training site for Teach St. Louis residents and employing program graduates.
- Ritenour School DistrictcoreDistrict partner providing school sites for teacher training and employment for program graduates.
- Atlas Public SchoolscoreSt. Louis charter school partner for teacher placement and professional development programs.
- Ferguson-Florissant School DistrictcoreSuburban St. Louis district partner providing training sites and teaching positions for program participants.
- Lafayette Preparatory AcademysupportingCharter school partner providing classroom placement opportunities for residents and employing graduates.
- The Leadership SchoolsupportingSt. Louis charter school partner for teacher training and placement programs.
- Kairos AcademiessupportingCharter network partner providing school sites for resident training and graduate employment.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Teach St. Louis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Urban Teachers: Urban Teachers runs a four-year teacher residency program in Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Dallas focused on preparing teachers for urban schools. It is directly comparable in residency model, urban focus, partner district placement, and Master's degree integration.
- Chicago Teacher Residency: Chicago Teacher Residency prepares teachers for Chicago Public Schools through a yearlong residency with university partnership. Comparable as a mid-size urban NCTR-affiliated residency serving a single metro with similar partner-district placement and Master's pathway.
- Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL): AUSL runs a Chicago-based teacher residency preparing teachers for Chicago Public Schools through clinical training and a Master's pathway. Comparable as a single-metro NCTR-style urban teacher residency with district partnership and certification pathway.
- Boston Teacher Residency (BTR): Boston Teacher Residency is a founding NCTR member running an urban teacher residency with a yearlong apprenticeship plus Master's degree. It is directly comparable in residency architecture, district partnership model, and target candidate profile.
- Match Education: Match Education runs a teacher residency in Boston alongside charter schools. Comparable in combining a residency program with school operations, providing a similar model of integrated training plus guaranteed placement.
Broad incumbents
- Teach For America: Teach For America recruits and places non-traditional candidates into high-need schools across multiple regions. It is comparable as a national teacher pipeline for high-need urban schools, though its two-year commitment model differs from Teach St. Louis's residency-plus-Master's architecture.
- Relay Graduate School of Education: Relay GSE offers alternative certification and Master's degree programs for teachers nationwide. It is comparable as a larger, multi-region alternative-certification and teacher-leadership provider with overlapping program offerings (TLP-equivalent).
- National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR): NCTR is the national network of teacher residency programs that incubated Teach St. Louis. It is comparable as the parent/supporting network for the same residency model, sharing curriculum frameworks, training standards, and the BEI diversity initiative across multiple member residencies nationally.
- TNTP (The New Teacher Project): TNTP recruits, trains, and certifies teachers for partner districts while also providing teacher-effectiveness research and consulting. It is comparable as an organization focused on teacher pipeline quality with district partnerships, though at significantly larger scale.
Emerging players
- Leading Educators: Leading Educators provides ongoing professional development and teacher leadership support to partner schools and districts. Comparable as a provider of teacher-leadership development (TLP-equivalent) services to partner school networks.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Teach St. Louis social profiles
Digital presenceTeach St. Louis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Teach St. Louis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Teach St. Louis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Teach St. Louis M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Teach St. Louis
What does Teach St. Louis do?
Teach St. Louis recruits, trains, and supports educators through a full-year teacher residency program, an alternative certification pathway for currently employed lead teachers, and a Teacher Leadership Program offering a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning degree and a Certificate in Instructional Excellence. Programs blend classroom apprenticeship with graduate-level coursework delivered through a Washington University in St. Louis partnership and include targeted instructional coaching and cohort-based learning. The Boundless Educators Initiative (BEI) provides additional financial support and community for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.
Is Teach St. Louis a public or private company?
Teach St. Louis is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Teach St. Louis founded?
Teach St. Louis was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Teach St. Louis based?
Teach St. Louis is headquartered in Saint Louis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Teach St. Louis make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Program Tuition is the primary driver. The others are philanthropic Donations and partner District Support Fees.
Who are Teach St. Louis's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Urban Teachers, Chicago Teacher Residency, Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) and Match Education. Broad incumbents are Teach For America, Relay Graduate School of Education, National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) and TNTP (The New Teacher Project). Leading Educators is listed as an emerging player.
Does Teach St. Louis have an API?
No public API is recorded for Teach St. Louis.
What industry is Teach St. Louis in?
Teach St. Louis's product category is Teacher Education & Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAFAC, Alternative Teacher Certification & Licensure Programs, with a secondary code of EDAHAFAG, Early Childhood & Elementary Teacher Preparation Programs. Its NAICS code is 61 and its SIC code is 8200.