Cooke School and Institute
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 133396691
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 6462735555
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Family Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $39,622,864
- Expenses
- $36,207,910
- Assets
- $103,134,619
- Liabilities
- $47,333,805
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
28 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- FRANCIS TABONE (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $383,896 total reported compensation
- DEBORAH COOPER (GENERAL COUNSEL): $267,854 total reported compensation
- DALE SANTOS (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $256,500 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We're driven by our belief that all children deserve to lead independent and purposeful lives.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Cooke School serves 321 students across two academic divisions-our K-12 program-and our Transitions Program for young adults ages 18-22. We provide individualized, differentiated special education instruction that promotes self-determination, independence, and long-term success. A deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is foundational to a Cooke education. Our program integrates rigorous academics with comprehensive therapeutic supports delivered by a multidisciplinary team of special education teachers, speech-language therapists, occupational and physical therapists, and school psychologists. Through this collaborative approach, students build the academic, social, and functional skills necessary to become active and valued members of their communities. In addition, students engage in a comprehensive adaptive skills training program that includes internship placements and community-based learning experiences, fostering vocational readiness and the development of essential life skills.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 94% 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 liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 60
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 78.2%; rating input score 78
- Program expense ratio: 85.2%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $1.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 6; 6th 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: 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: 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: 8.6%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.85; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.46; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.9% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 78.2% of revenue deployed · 85.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $30.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $384K · 28 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $691K reported
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 6/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.