Academy for Classical Education
Legal name: Academy for Classical Education Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 463722435
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Macon, GA, United States
- Phone
- (478) 238-5757
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $28,870,440
- Expenses
- $27,899,061
- Assets
- $57,815,640
- Liabilities
- $65,898,280
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- LARA RELYEA (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- LARA RELYEA (CEO): $154,000 total reported compensation
- PALMES KELLY (CFO): $153,490 total reported compensation
- ESTERINE STOKES (CAO): $102,238 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of the Academy for Classical Education is to build the foundation of knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary for children to become independent learners for life. A successful educational experience takes into account learning differences of students and the necessary supports they may need. Beginning in Kindergarten, students are assessed in order to provide support in areas of need. ACE utilizes the Georgia Department of Education's tiered system of supports (MTSS) to provide resources for students. These resources are based on the data collected by teachers through the RTI (Response to Intervention) approach. This layering of support utilizing evidence-based interventions and screenings identified specially what each student needs in order to be successful academically. From Kindergarten forward, ACE teachers are assessing and identifying ways to h.
What it reported doing in 2024
Provide facilities, teachers, instructional services and materials for students enrolled in a public charter school.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 92% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 60
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 91.2%; rating input score 91
- Program expense ratio: 94.1%; rating input score 94
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 3.4%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.07; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.14; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.5%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 91.2% of revenue deployed · 94.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $26.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $154K · 8 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes executive pay
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.