New Heights Academy Charter School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
203057343
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2122835400
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$14,622,838
Expenses
$15,932,435
Assets
$30,933,942
Liabilities
$28,335,392

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANGEL VASQUEZ (PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTINA BROWN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THRU 7/24)
  • KAREN VALBRUN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CRYSTAL JOYE (MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL): $208,483 total reported compensation
  • WENDY RAMOS (CHIEF OF STAFF): $199,922 total reported compensation
  • FRED GIVENS (HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL): $195,428 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

New heights is a product of and exists to serve the students of Washington heights, inwood, and harlem. We opened in 2006 as the very first charter school in our district. Our school was founded by a team of local educators who came together with the specific intent to provide the community they served and loved with an excellent educational option. We are an independent public charter school, and we are not affiliated with any management organization.

What it reported doing in 2024

The new heights academy charter school family embodies the core values of perseverance, responsibility, integrity, discipline, and enthusiasm. The school culture is characterized by transparent communication, trust in community members, and an appreciation for diversity of perspectives. New heights scholars are engaged in a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum which emphasizes critical thinking, curiosity, competence, confidence, and control. Since our opening, we have grown to serve 648 students in grades 5-12 and achieved an average annual graduation rate that exceeds the rest of the city. New heights provides our students with an academically rigorous education that will prepare them to pursue whatevereducational and professional path they choose.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.6%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 88.7%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • 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; 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: -9%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.94; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.92; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.7%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.6% of revenue deployed · 88.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $14.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $208K · 18 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.