Lead Charter School Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
812644961
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Newark, NJ, USA
Phone
8627721725
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,971,482
Expenses
$7,930,818
Assets
$7,390,718
Liabilities
$771,812

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • SHABANI STEWART (CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER): $129,438 total reported compensation
  • DR JEROME PATTERSON (SPECIAL EDUCATION & FINANCIAL LITERACY TEACHER): $123,460 total reported compensation
  • KASHON ABDUL-QADIR (NETWORK SUPPORT SPECIALIST): $122,134 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of lead charter is to help students ages 16-21 in grades 9-12 to master the essential skills crucial for success in post-secondary education, career and community leadership within a global society.

What it reported doing in 2024

Lead charter schools key design elements support the unique academic and nonacademic needs of students who have disengaged from traditional schooling. Its innovative model reengages young people via active participation in rigorous and relevant content and standards-driven, competency based instruction aligned with emerging market demands. During the fiscal year ended june 30, 2025, the charter school had an enrollment of approximately 311 in grades 9-11.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 100% 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 - 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 49
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 48.3%; rating input score 48
  • Program expense ratio: 66.8%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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; 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: 27.7%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.93; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.5%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 49% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 48.3% of revenue deployed · 66.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $129K · 10 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $263K reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.