Liberty Grove Schools Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
854063365
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone
3172264242
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,822,124
Expenses
$4,251,728
Assets
$3,221,841
Liabilities
$246,693

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MORRISE HARBOUR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MORRISE HARBOUR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $173,675 total reported compensation
  • YOLANDA WIDE (DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS): $101,067 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Liberty grove schools envisions a community of academic excellence that sparks innovation and creates opportunities. We achieve this by empowering students of diverse backgrounds to reach their full potential, removing labels through building community, emphasizing high standards of excellence, and embracing a wide variety of learning opportunities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Academic achievement - 3rd grade reading achievement scores have increased by 27% from school year 2024 to 2025, positioning liberty grove schools as a school providing sound access to high achieving teaching and learning. This accomplishment in 3rd grade reading scores was a collaborative effort that included after school tutoring for students, professional development of teachers, and summer academic programming. As a result of those efforts the school was able to expand academic programming, ensuring that student's needs are being met.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 88% 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 total spending goes to programs and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 55
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.3%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 57%; rating input score 57
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: -11.2%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.76; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 23.1% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 34.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.3% of revenue deployed · 57% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $174K · 11 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $235K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.