2025-2026
School Year
Impact Report
Each year, we have thousands of opportunities to make a difference—in a classroom, on a stage, through a screen, or in planting an idea that sticks with people. This report is a look at what happened when those moments came together in the 2025-26 school year; it’s a look at the impact made possible when meaningful experiences meet the people who need them most.
Every interaction is an opportunity for change.
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Annual Letter from Leadership
Every day, communities are asked to make decisions that affect their homes, families, health, and future. Whether it’s understanding energy use, conserving water, preparing for severe weather, or exploring future careers, these decisions are becoming more complex, even as people’s attention is pulled in more directions than ever before, with news cycles changing on the hour and attention spans shrinking by the minute.
Today’s audiences are surrounded by information, but information by itself rarely changes behavior. Education must be engaging, relevant, and accessible if it is going to inspire action.
At NTC, we’ve always believed that creativity is more than a communication tool, it’s a catalyst for change. By combining storytelling, education, technology, and measurable outreach strategies, we help our partners transform complex topics into experiences that people remember, share, and act upon. When communities are engaged, they don’t just learn; they participate.
For more than four decades, our mission has remained remarkably consistent: helping organizations build stronger relationships with the communities they serve through creative education and engagement. While the challenges facing utilities, public agencies, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits continue to evolve; our commitment to delivering measurable, human-centered impact remains unchanged.
Every success highlighted in this report is the result of collaboration. We are grateful to the utilities, municipalities, healthcare organizations, educators, nonprofit partners, and community leaders who trust us to help educate, inspire, and empower the people they serve. Together, we are creating programs that extend far beyond a single campaign; they strengthen communities and create lasting value.
As we look to the future, we see tremendous opportunity. New technologies, evolving customer expectations, and emerging community needs will continue to reshape the way organizations connect with the public. We are excited to keep innovating alongside our partners, developing new ways to teach, entertain, and inspire meaningful action. Because while the tools may change, our purpose remains the same: helping people make informed decisions to improve their lives, strengthen their communities, and build a more sustainable future.
Margaret Eames
CEO
Patrick Rowan
President
The Challenge
Communities have never had more information…Yet inspiring meaningful action has never been more difficult.
Communities are being asked to make increasingly complex decisions about energy, water, health, sustainability, and workforce development. Information alone isn’t enough. People need experiences that inspire action.
Industry Trends
Communities are navigating…
of U.S. adults own a smartphone. Information has never been more accessible.
Yet attention has never been harder to capture.
Awareness alone doesn't create action.
Engagement does.
Engage
Every meaningful change begins with attention.
Creative engagement like live theatre and customized videos creates an immediate connection with students—and gives important ideas a way to break through the noise.
NTC created hundreds of thousands of moments where learning could happen during the 2025-26 school year.
Educate
Every meaningful change begins with attention.
When creative engagement meets curriculum, complex topics become memorable, conversations continue after the performance, and learning extends beyond a single moment.
The numbers behind the experience
Explore the full set of educator evaluation results.
of participating teachers want to receive their NTC program again and would recommend it to their peers.
of educators reported that their NTC program increased students' capacity to understand the material.
of educators said their program stimulated meaningful classroom discussion.
Educational Value
6.6 out of 7 | Rated by 5,298 Educators
Equip
Learning doesn’t end when the show ends.
Knowledge is just the beginning. We equip students, teachers, and families with resources that help turn learning into action. Behavior change begins when resources enter homes to become action.
We brought engaging educational experiences to 546,014 STUDENTS through live performances and digital programs.
We partnered with 39,901 TEACHERS to bring meaningful, curriculum-connected learning into their classrooms.
We extended learning beyond the classroom, reaching 709,363 PARENTS through take-home resources and family engagement.
We extended the learning experience beyond the classroom by sharing 550,860 DIGITAL TOOLKITS with students, teachers, and families.
We reinforced learning beyond the performance with 134,842 PRINT MATERIALS designed to support continued engagement and action.
We brought complex topics to life through 430 MINUTES of customized video created to engage audiences and reinforce learning.
Expand
Impact Shouldn’t Depend on a ZIP Code.
Every student deserves access to engaging, high-quality educational experiences—regardless of where they live.
Because meaningful change shouldn't stop at the classroom door.
And when change matters, we measure it.
ONE EXPERIENCE
ONE CLASSROOM
ONE
STUDENT
ONE
FAMILY
ONE COMMUNITY
OUTREACH STATS
METRO STATS
NTC programs served
states.
Measure
We don’t just create experiences. We measure what students learn.
Across programs, students demonstrated measurable gains in knowledge—often in the specific concepts and skills they can carry beyond the classroom. Through pre- and post-program testing, NTC can demonstrate knowledge gains, behavior change inclinations and overall impact.
Students left the experience knowing more—and, in many cases, knowing a lot more.
Across programs, students demonstrated measurable gains in the knowledge and skills our experiences were designed to build.
Dental health, energy efficiency, water conservation, financial aid or public outreach, NTC’s creative engagement model can make complex topics—from dental health to energy efficiency—more understandable and actionable.
MEASURE HIGHLIGHTS
+85.9 - Students didn't just improve - they often finished with strong understanding.
In Illinois, post-test averages reached 85.9% for K–1 and 88.9% for grades 2–3.
In Missouri and South Carolina, post-test averages reached 93.1% for K–1 and 85.8% for grades 2–3.
+54.8 - The biggest gains happened when learning became practical.
Understanding proper brushing technique grew from 26.0% to 80.8% among Illinois K–1 students. And importantly, this isn’t a one-off—the same topic gained +50.3 points in K–1 and +50.1 points among grades 2–3 in Missouri.
+37.1 – Students learned something they can regularly use beyond the classroom.
Utility programs produced meaningful gains in actionable energy knowledge.
Across the utility pre/post data, some of the strongest gains were in concepts students can actually apply:
+37.1 points — could name at least three energy-efficiency habits
+34.2 points — understood how time of day affects appliance energy use
+31.2 points — could identify at least three ways energy is produced
+22.3 points — could identify a way their family could improve energy efficiency
8,446.34 MWh saved
100%
Change
Every interaction is an opportunity for change.
A moment of attention can become understanding.
Understanding can become action.
And action can create lasting impact.
Thank you for being part of the work.
Telly Award
Celebrating as a Gold Winner in the Education and Training category at the 47th Annual Telly Awards
NTC Studios
Providing creative solutions and strategic communications outside of the K-12 school market
The National Theatre for Children
Engaging educators and school communities where they are through customized outreach