JA students, when compared to the general public, go on to have higher levels of educational attainment, career satisfaction, financial capability, entrepreneurial activity, and household income. At the same time, a considerable portion of JA Alumni credit Junior Achievement for promoting their understanding of business, influencing their career goals, fostering a sense of self-belief, and enhancing their understanding of how money works.*
The Need
77% of Colorado employers struggle to find workers with applied skills like critical thinking and problem solving, according to a 2018 poll.
More than two-thirds of parents feel less prepared to give financial guidance than they do talking about the “birds and bees.”
52% of high school juniors say they do not feel prepared to pay for or manage the cost of college.
JA Students
In the 2018-2019 school year, JA-Rocky Mountain reached 101,680 students in 550 Colorado and Wyoming schools.
41% of students receive free or reduced lunch, a nationally recognized indicator of poverty.
JA Students Are Driven.
JA students are more optimistic about achieving future success, feel less entitled, and feel more self-motivated.
JA Students Retain What They Learned.
63% of JA alumni say they remember the money and business concepts they learned from their JA volunteer.*
JA is Closing the Achievement Gap in Financial Education, Career Readiness, and Entrepreneurial Skills.
JA students show strong learning gains in all three areas. Individuals from less advantaged backgrounds make larger gains, meeting or exceeding their more advantaged peers.
JA Alumni
JA Alumni are Job Creators.
84% of businesses owned by JA alumni have employees (compared to 20% of U.S. small businesses). 26% of JA alumni businesses employ more than 100 people (compared to 1.7% of U.S. small businesses).*
JA Alumni Businesses Generate More Revenue than Businesses Owned by Non-Alumni.
18% of JA alumni businesses have revenues of $5 million or more (compared to 4.5% of U.S. small businesses).*
JA alumni earn 20% more than the general population and are more likely to be better off than their parents.*
75% of JA alumni have a positive view of the American economic system.*
62 percent of JA alumni are currently working in positions that are “manager status or above.”*
Educators & Volunteers
Teachers and volunteers say that JA is meaningful.
90% of teachers and 95% of volunteers say that their JA experience was meaningful.
Teachers and volunteers recommend JA.
83% of teachers and 86% of volunteers say they would actively recommend JA to their colleagues.
Results and data presented on this page are based on both an external evaluation conducted by QREM, LLC, and internal analysis. Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain, Inc. has randomly selected students by classroom and assigned them into one of three groups as participants in a third-party evaluation. Testing effects were monitored, and other mitigating factors such as low-income status were controlled. Statistical testing included determining differences between pre- and posttests, examining correlational findings, and building structural equation models to determine impacts. Sample sizes in matched groups exceeded minimal standards for each level (elementary, middle, and high) and each group. The results and findings presented in this report are statistically significant with a confidence level of 95% or higher.
* JA alumni data is based on two Junior Achievement USA scientific surveys of JA alumni. Read the 2016 survey report here. Read the 2020 survey report here.
