Benchmark School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 231728895
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Media, PA, USA
- Phone
- 6105653741
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $11,643,353
- Expenses
- $10,664,886
- Assets
- $29,392,386
- Liabilities
- $7,831,605
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
24 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- CHRIS HANCOCK (HEAD OF SCHOOL, EX-OFFICIO): $309,154 total reported compensation
- JOSEPH MCPEAK (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $164,091 total reported compensation
- JOYCE OSTERTAG (CO-HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOL): $123,484 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Benchmark school is committed to helping bright students who learn differently, or have yet to reach their academic potential, develop the confidence, strategies, and knowledge to become lifelong learners, thinkers, and problem-solvers.
What it reported doing in 2024
Follow-up data over the past 50 years demonstrates that benchmark graduates are successful in high school, college, and life. Graduates report that they are successful because benchmark helped them understand themselves as learners, approach tasks strategically, think flexibly, advocate for themselves, and take control of their own learning. At the heart of benchmark's success is an exceptional teaching staff comprised of knowledgeable and caring individuals who are deeply committed to the extensive professional development that is woven into the fabric of the school. This commitment to professional development supports the school's enduring dedication to innovation and excellence.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 75% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 74% for direct work, and 26% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 68
- Transparency & Controls: 87
- Accountability: 86
- Sustainability: 60
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 68.4%; rating input score 68
- Program expense ratio: 76.7%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $12.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 8.4%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.76; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 68.4% of revenue deployed · 76.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $8.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $309K · 24 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $361K reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 9 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.