Fort Zumwalt School District has been recognized again as a top workplace, this time coming in No. 37 out of 75 employers on Forbes list of Best-in-State for Missouri.
To create the list, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 160,000 employees working for companies with at least 500 people within the United States. Survey participants were asked how likely they were to recommend their employer on a scale of zero to 10. Respondents were also asked to evaluate employers they’d worked for within the past two years, and organizations they knew within their industry or through friends or family who worked there.
When incorporated with survey data from the past three years, the responses represented all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Greater weight was given to the more recent data and to the responses from current employees within the state. Companies that received the highest scores in each state made the Forbes list. Ultimately, 1,294 organizations from across the country made the list.
Only one other K – 12 public school district made the list for Missouri. The Independence School District outside Kansas City was at No. 67.
“We are proud to be a part of this list because of what our employees are saying about working here,” Superintendent Dr. Paul Myers says. “A large focus of our Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) has been to make sure we create a climate and culture where our staff knows they matter and that they are valued. Recruiting highly qualified team members and retaining them in their positions in our schools and our support service departments is critical to meeting our mission to serve our community.”
In the first year of new initiatives under the CSIP, Fort Zumwalt cut departures of certified teachers by 46 percent from the previous year. In positions such as clerical team members, bus drivers, custodians and other similar staff, the district cut departures by 16 percent.
It is the third time Fort Zumwalt has received the Forbes recognition. Forbes recognized the district as among the Best Employers in Missouri in 2020 and 2023. Last February Fort Zumwalt was one of 19 Missouri organizations to make the Forbes list of America’s Best Mid-Sized Employers.
