Essence Preparatory Public School
Legal name: Essence Prep Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 853931348
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- San Antonio, TX, US
- Phone
- 210-997-5636
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Charter Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $6,873,671
- Expenses
- $9,175,566
- Assets
- $28,408,923
- Liabilities
- $30,263,407
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- AKEEM BROWN (CEO/SUPERINTEND)
Highest reported compensation
- AKEEM BROWN (CEO/SUPERINTEND): $133,444 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 that empowers scholars to excel academically, develop character, and become leaders in their community.
What it reported doing in 2024
Essence Preparatory Charter School ("Essence Prep") prepares kindergarten through eighth-grade scholars for high school, college, and beyond. We employ a student-centered approach, where rigorous academics, character development, and a structured environment build a strong foundation. Cultivating our scholars' knowledge of self is an essential step in preparing them for a future full of possibilities. At Essence Prep, every scholar makes a Journey of Self-Discovery, and it underpins everything we do. "Social-emotional learning" (SEL) is ubiquitous in schools these days but, it is clear to our team that something is lacking from existing programs. Educators have the best intentions to launch SEL programming for positive outcomes. Yet our team knows what most educators do not: real social-emotional learning starts from a deep and genuine understanding of one's self. Scholars can only be expected to uncover deep sociological or emotional truths in their world once they truly understand their own minds, bodies, and places in the world. This is especially true of the scholars we aim to serve.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 69% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 89
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 63
- Sustainability: 33
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 99.4%; rating input score 99
- Program expense ratio: 74.4%; rating input score 74
- Fundraising efficiency: $63.48 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -33.5%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.1; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.07; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.5%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 53.3% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 38% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 37% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 99.4% of revenue deployed · 74.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $133K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.