Digital Pioneers Academy Public Charter School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
815111613
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2026773522
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$23,725,628
Expenses
$21,596,959
Assets
$15,732,784
Liabilities
$11,221,236

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MASHEA ASHTON (CEO/PRINCIPA)

Highest reported compensation

  • MASHEA ASHTON (CEO/PRINCIPA): $286,500 total reported compensation
  • ALISS WILLIAMS (ASSOCIATE DE): $155,949 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT HARRIS (ATHLETIC DIR): $155,783 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 digital pioneers academy (dpa) is to develop the next generation of innovators. We prepare students to meet or exceed the highest academic standards, while cultivating the strength of character necessary to both graduate from four-year colleges and thrive in 21st century careers.

What it reported doing in 2024

Effective july 1, 2018, digital pioneers academy (dpa) entered into a fifteen-year charter school agreement with the district of columbia public charter school board (pcsb). In 2022-2023, dpa underwent its five-year charter review with the pcsb. Dpa is a college preparatory middle and high school that served 682 6th to 12th graders, predominantly students from ward 7 and 8 in Washington, dc, in the 2024-25 school year. Having added one grade per year since its founding, dpa reached scale in 2024-25 and the first class of students graduated in june 2025. Dpa provides a unique, personalized educational experience that integrates best practices from schools across the country, preparing students to be innovators and active citizens in our technology- driven world. Dpa's learning model leverages a curriculum built around traditional subjects with the critical inclusion of computer science as a core content area. Through core classes and personalized, project-based work, students will develop computational thinking skills, a set of capabilities that can be flexibly applied to succeed in a four-year college and in a variety of fields. In addition to rigorous academics, dpa's innovative approach focuses on character building, diverse athletic and extracurricular experiences, and developing the social and emotional capacities of students. Computer science is not just about teaching students to code. As the foundation for all computing, computer science is defined as "the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their applications, and their impact on society." through helping students understand why and how computers work, computer science provides the basis for a deep understanding of computer use and the relevant rights, responsibilities, and applications. Computer science builds on computer literacy, educational technology, digital citizenship, and information technology.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 87% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.6%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 92.5%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $112.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 86; 86th 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: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • 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: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.71; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.9%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 27.7% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 26.7% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 34.2% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83.6% of revenue deployed · 92.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $20M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $286K · 14 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.5M reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.