ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students)

Founded in 1994, ACES was founded by Raj Shah, a Minnesota-based doctor and entrepreneur who saw a need in the community for a safe place for students to learn at their own pace. What began as a small team of Shah and a handful of people is now a nonprofit program that empowers more than 500 students each program year with eight full-time staff and approximately 20 part-time Academic Coaches. 

Minnesota has a significant achievement gap that is especially prevalent in the Twin Cities. In 2018, there was a 49 percentage-point difference in math proficiency between white and African-American students in Saint Paul. This carries major implications for the future economic and social health of Minnesota. 

Our programming is focused on the students most impacted by educational disparities; our goal is to minimize the achievement gap and set up all youth to be successful and confident learners, regardless of their racial or socio-economic background. A recent longitudinal study via the U of M showed that ACES participants had higher high school attendance rates, higher reading proficiency scores, higher graduation rates - including on-time graduation - and better school engagement than students who did not participate in ACES.