Great Western Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
753019232
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Columbus, OH, USA
Phone
6142761028
Rating
56
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,565,985
Expenses
$9,699,136
Assets
$4,881,870
Liabilities
$10,521,753

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Alan Toops (President)
  • Jackiethia Butsch (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Alan Toops (President): $1,500 total reported compensation
  • Jackiethia Butsch (Vice President): $1,500 total reported compensation
  • Dr J Love Benton (Board Member): $1,500 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Utilizes research-proven curricula to ensure outstanding academic performance routinely by all of its culturally and economically diverse student population. Partners with families to form a safe school.

What it reported doing in 2024

A community school in Ohio currently offering grades K-8. The schools partners with families to form a safe community. This community will equip children to achieve academic experiences and personal growth. The school currently has no employees and is managed by Imagine Schools, a nationally recognized operator.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 97% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 6
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 7%; rating input score 7
  • Program expense ratio: 7%; rating input score 7
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.4%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.5; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 2.16; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.1%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -55.4% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.6% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 7% of revenue deployed · 7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $674K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $2K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 21 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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: Mission deployment rate scored 7/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Fund balance restriction sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.