Acorn Montessori Charter School Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 861022936
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Prescott Valley, AZ, USA
- Phone
- 9287725778
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Charter Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $8,495,687
- Expenses
- $6,964,995
- Assets
- $8,134,528
- Liabilities
- $1,569,160
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KRYSTAL CHITTENDEN (PRESIDENT/TR)
Highest reported compensation
- CYNTHIA JOHNSON (VICE PRESIDE): $109,621 total reported compensation
- KEITH JOHNSON (DIRECTOR): $51,012 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 school's mission is to understand and serve the needs of the whole child. Acorn's approach of linking outstanding educational methods with models for cooperative respectful way of life is an important element of education. Each classroom represents a structured miniature learning society where the values of harmony, respect, independence, learning and unity are given the opportunity to blossom and grow. The montessori method fosters a deep appreciation for knowledge, learning and humanity.
What it reported doing in 2024
The school encourages development of the child in all areas through a montessori enriched individual learning environment for approximately 550 students in grades kindergarten through eighth grades. The school provides children with virtues, self-discipline, and experiences they need to transition to adulthood at two locations in prescott valley, Arizona.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 74% 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 the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 72
- Sustainability: 62
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 74.5%; rating input score 75
- Program expense ratio: 90.9%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 18%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.17; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.8%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 74.5% of revenue deployed · 90.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $110K · 5 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $363K reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.