Mother Lode Christian School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 941600299
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Tuolumne, CA, USA
- Phone
- 209-928-4126
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,431,549
- Expenses
- $2,446,618
- Assets
- $2,685,297
- Liabilities
- $199,652
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MEGAN LEE (Vice President)
- WILLIAM SARKISIAN (President)
People named in this filing
- MEGAN LEE (Vice President)
- JASON PODESTA (Treasurer)
- KRISTIE LAXAGUE (BOARD MEMBER)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To work together with the home and church to provide a Christ-centered spiritual, academic, and physical foundation in a nurturing environment to produce citizens who will be a transforming influence in their world. Our mission at Mother Lode Christian School is to work together with families to create a learning environment that encourages students to seek God’s best in all areas of their lives. CONTACT US. at Mother Lode Christian School is to work together with families to create a learning environment that encourages students to seek God’s best in all areas of their lives. CONTACT US Send us a message. We believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature, that people are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ, and that only by God’s grace and through faith alone are...
What it reported doing in 2024
Mother lode christian school utilizes funds received for tuition, sales and contributions to fund the school programs and offer education and activities to students.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 89% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 87
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 45
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 93.4%; rating input score 93
- 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: 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.6%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.1; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 93.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.