The Wheeler School
Overview
Mission
We help each student learn by doing and collaborating, explore new interests and grow their passions, build self-awareness and confidence through leadership and service, and develop to be thoughtful, curious, and contributing citizens of the world.
What it reported doing in 2024
Providing educational services to students attending nursery through 12th grade. The school enrolled 823 students for the year of which 96 students graduated from the class of 2025 and 99% of those graduating pursued a college education. Administration, faculty and staff participated in school supported professional development programs. A strong volunteer group of parents and alumni helped the school in its fundraising and admissions activities.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 85% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The nonprofit carried out 84% of its reported program work directly.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 050259101
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Website reviewed
- Jul 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Headquarters
- Providence, RI, US
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the website gives limited detail about important organizational relationships.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 72
- Accountability: 78
- Sustainability: 64
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 68.5%; rating input score 69
- Program expense ratio: 75.9%; rating input score 76
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
- Public monitoring controls: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Public policy transparency: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
- Public financial transparency: 0 of 5 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Impact reporting controls: 0 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Public relationship transparency: No; rating input score 0
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 87%; rating input score 87; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Public governance controls: 2 of 4 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Zakat policy transparency: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 9.1%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Operating reserve ratio: 3.51; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.8%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 68.5% of revenue deployed · 75.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 20 of 23 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $35M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $595K · 34 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
- Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.