Leighton University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 851816923
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2024
- Location
- Horn Lake, MS, USA
- Phone
- 9013365315
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $21,240
- Expenses
- $20,816
- Assets
- $21,240
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Lillian Takona (President of the Board of Directors)
- Rebecca Kigaita (Vice President of the Board)
- Sam Talala (President of the Board of Trustees)
People named in this filing
- Lillian Takona (President of the Board of Directors)
- Rebecca Kigaita (Vice President of the Board)
- Brenda Morgan (Secretary and Member of Board of Directors)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Leighton University is established as a private, non-profit institution of higher learning dedicated to expanding access to high-quality, student-centered education in the State of Mississippi and beyond. The institution exists to provide transformative academic programs that cultivate intellectual rigor, professional competence, ethical leadership, and lifelong learning. Guided by a commitment to public service and social responsibility, Leighton University seeks to prepare graduates who contribute meaningfully to their communities, advance human well-being, and address emerging challenges across diverse fields of practice. The purpose of the institution is to create an inclusive learning environment where students from varied backgrounds can pursue academic and professional goals through well-designed curricula, evidence-based teaching, and robust student support services.
What it reported doing in 2024
Guided by a commitment to public service and social responsibility, Leighton University seeks to prepare graduates who contribute meaningfully to their communities, advance human well-being, and address emerging challenges across diverse fields of practice. Fiscal Year: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025 During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, Leighton University advanced its establishment as a fully online, nonprofit institution by focusing on the state authorization process with the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation (MCCA), the agency responsible for administering Title 37, Chapter 60 of the Mississippi Code of 1972. Building on feedback from the prior year's application, the University devoted extensive time to refining faculty and staff recruitment plans, strengthening evidence of financial responsibility, and improving institutional capacity and program documentation to ensure compliance with state requirements. During the reporting period, Leighton University submitted the majority of its AY 2024-2025 materials to the MCCA, including revised academic program descriptions, updated organizational structures, hiring plans, financial projections, and operational policies. The University also made substantial progress in developing the technological infrastructure required for online operations, identifying and engaging Student Information System (SIS) providers capable of supporting admissions, student records, fiscal processes, and academic services. In addition to regulatory preparation and technology development, the University invested significant effort in building national relationships and cultivating a support network aligned with its mission as a nonprofit institution. These partnerships enhanced institutional visibility, broadened professional support, and contributed to long-term sustainability. Overall, the fiscal year represented substantial forward momentum, positioning Leighton University for continued progress toward state authorization and the successful launch of a fully online, high-quality educational institution.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 99
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 52
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 98%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 2%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -17.4% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -35.7% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -18.1% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 98% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $21K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.