Colorado Springs Christian Schools
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 742477359
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA
- Phone
- 7195993553
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $9,737,442
- Expenses
- $9,835,882
- Assets
- $11,677,781
- Liabilities
- $8,833,819
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- Roland DeRenzo (Superintendent): $164,285 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Since 1971, our school has stood as a beacon of Christ-centered education, committed to partnering with families to prepare students for lives of purpose, faith, and leadership. We believe education is more than academics—it is a journey of personal discovery, spiritual growth, and intellectual development rooted in God’s absolute truth. Our Mission We exist to provide excellent education from a Christ-centered, biblical perspective for lifelong service.
What it reported doing in 2024
Provided christian education to approximately 394 elementary school students. Financial assistance scholarships and other discounts were given in the amount of $361,077 to elementary students. The scholarships and discounts have been netted within program revenue, as reported within the audited financial statements.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 88% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Accountability: 89
- Sustainability: 37
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 83.9%; rating input score 84
- Program expense ratio: 82.7%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $19.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 20th 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: -1%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.19; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.76; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.6%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 83.9% of revenue deployed · 82.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $8.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $164K · 7 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $108K reported
- Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 58/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 29/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule D other securities reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.