Discovery Schools
Legal name: Discovery Health Sciences Foundation Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 453761886
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Kenner, LA, USA
- Phone
- 5042292137
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Charter Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $44,955,710
- Expenses
- $44,492,532
- Assets
- $36,202,482
- Liabilities
- $10,460,344
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
22 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PATTY GLASER PHD (CEO (THRU 6/2025))
- ALLISON LOWE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TEACHING)
Highest reported compensation
- PATTY GLASER PHD (CEO (THRU 6/2025)): $703,458 total reported compensation
- SHARON PREEN (CAO): $191,418 total reported compensation
- KRIS SCAIRONO (CFO): $143,087 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To provide a rigorous, college-preparatory education with a focus on health sciences, empowering students to achieve academic excellence and become lifelong learners and leaders.
What it reported doing in 2024
Discovery charter schools are open-enrollment type 1 charter schools authorized by jefferson parish public school system. All discovery schools are free public schools that have the flexibility to adapt to the educational needs of individual students.discovery schools began serving families of jefferson parish in 2013. Originally an idea held by a small group of jefferson parish residents to reform public education, it has since grown into a successful and high demand charter school network. Founded in 2013, kenner discovery health sciences academy opened its doors to 420 students in grades pre-k-3rd, 5th and 6th grade. Each year, kenner discovery added more grade levels and students. Now in its eleventh year, the school serves over 2,000 students in grades pre-k-12.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 95% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 70
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 40
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.4%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 72%; rating input score 72
- Fundraising efficiency: $18.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 55; 55th 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: 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: 1%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.81; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.4%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 19.1% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 18.6% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 25.1% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 71.4% of revenue deployed · 72% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $32M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $703K · 22 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $11.3M reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 3 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 55/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.