Christ School Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
560615187
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Arden, NC, USA
Phone
8286846232
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Secondary, High School
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$43,349,647
Expenses
$23,638,646
Assets
$67,945,485
Liabilities
$1,178,080

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

30 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • SEAN JENKINS (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $453,553 total reported compensation
  • BETSY ELLIS (ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS): $196,877 total reported compensation
  • DANNY ELMER (DIRECTOR OF FACILTIES): $145,758 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 school is to produce educated men of good character, prepared for both scholastic achievement in college and productive citizenship in adult society.

What it reported doing in 2024

As a college preparatory school for nearly 300 boys in grades 8-12, the school prepares its students for success and achievement in leading colleges in the united states. Classes are small, but demanding, and are built around critical thinking through research, incisive analysis, and good writing with 30 honors level and 18 advanced placement courses offered. The school expects all students to become independent learners, expand their intellectual curiosity, and to demonstrate improvement and mastery in the difficult material with which they are challenged. The school encourgages each student in the nurturing environment of a close-knit campus to develop academically to his maximum potential. Student support services provide for the food, housing, educational, and wellness needs of the school's students and include expenses for dining hall services, dormitories, the school bookstore, and the campus wellness center. The school provides a variety of extracurricular opportunities for students, including competitive sports, student government, clubs, and community service activities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 64% for direct work, and 36% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 43.2%; rating input score 43
  • Program expense ratio: 78%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.03 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 45.5%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.87; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 43.2% of revenue deployed · 78% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $18.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $454K · 30 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $2.2M reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 43/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 41/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.