Lakeland Christian School Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Lakeland christian school (lcs) is one of the nation's premier private christian schools. The institution was founded in 1954 and has over 1,150 students, making it one of the oldest and largest non-public k2-12th grade schools in west central Florida. Hallmarks of lcs include challenging academics, championship athletics, and award-winning fine arts. The school's primary distinctive, though, is the biblical worldview that permeates every facet of school life. Lcs is non-denominational, and school families represent more than 160 local churches. Continued on schedule olcs is governed by a 14-member board of directors and is accredited by the association of christian schools international (acsi), the Florida council of independent schools (fcis), and cognia.all faculty members maintain professional certification in their fields. The student-to-faculty ratio is 13.5:1. 54% of the faculty hold master's degrees and 43% have taught at lcs for 10 years or more. The test scores of lcs students consistently exceed local, state, and national averages. Lcs offers 16 advanced placement courses, 26 honors courses, and 16 dual enrollment classes and 94% of its graduates pursue college.the school provides 42 athletic teams in 20 sports, for grades six through twelve. Lcs has won 28 state titles and has captured 26 runner-up awards. 70% of secondary students participate in athletics. The outstanding fine arts program encompasses nearly 500 students. The school produces a major musical each year, including students from across grade levels. Lcs also provides private piano lessons for more than 150 students. The band and choir programs consistently garner statewide honors.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 74.5%; rating input score 74
• Program expense ratio: 80.4%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 26; 26th 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: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• 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: 7.2%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.92; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings