Gold Rush Home Study Charter School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770570969
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Sonora, CA, USA
Phone
2095329781
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,685,652
Expenses
$5,548,390
Assets
$5,075,722
Liabilities
$785,909

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TRACI WOELFFER THROUGH 625 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • AMANDA MCLEOD START 125 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • KARISSA JOHNSON (BOARD PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • TRACI WOELFFER THROUGH 625 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $171,163 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 safe, nurturing environment of a public, student-centered education where k-12 students feel emotionally and academically connected in a tuition-free standards-based education in homeschool, independent study, or optional class settings.

What it reported doing in 2024

Gold rush charter school provides a comprehensive, personalized k-12 public education program designed to meet the diverse needs of students in tuolumne county and surrounding areas. Our instructional model includes independent study, personalized learning plans, and teacher-facilitated instruction to support students who benefit from flexible scheduling, individualized pacing, and family partnership in education.during the fiscal year under audit, the school served k-12 students and provided individualized learning plans aligned to California state standards for all enrolled students; credentialed teacher oversight and instructional support including regular student-teacher contact, assessment monitoring, and intervention services; curriculum and instructional materials aligned with state standards including core academic subjects and electives; special education services and related supports in compliance with idea and applicable selpa requirements; student enrichment and support services including academic counseling, college and career readiness activities, and family engagement opportunities; and assessment and accountability activities including participation in state assessments and ongoing progress monitoring to inform instructional decisions. The school continues to focus on student academic growth, graduation outcomes, and individualized support for at-risk and alternative education students. The school operated 175 days and served approximately 430 students, with a continued focus on academic growth and graduation outcomes.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 99% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.8%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 78.7%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 2.4%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.91; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.1%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.8% of revenue deployed · 78.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $171K · 7 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.
  • Review — Grant Readiness: California registration: this organization could not be resolved against the register, so the check is unfinished.