Partnership for Regional Educational Preparation - Kansas City Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Prep-kc partners with six school districts and three charter schools, enrolling over 66,000 students and graduating with approximately 3,900 high school students annually. 82% of students identify as students of color, and 86% come from low-income households. Our partner schools serve 19 of the 20 zip codes with the lowest median household incomes in the nine-county metropolitan area. (continued on schedule o) market value assets (mva) and school redesign: market value assets (mvas) are measurable, career-connected experiences that help students prepare for college, career, and life. Prep-kc tracks four types of mvas for students in our 21 partner high schools: 1. Nine or more college credits earned in high schools 2. An industry-recognized credential 3. Completion of an internship or client-connected project 4. Completion of an entrepreneurial experience since 2019, prep-kc has implemented a multi-faceted approach to expand mva attainment. This work includes redesigning high schools to provide "wall to wall" mva opportunities, ensuring that students have multiple ways to earn mvas through career pathways, dual-credit courses, apprenticeships, and student-run enterprises. Personalized mva planning supports each student's postsecondary aspirations, while school structures are aligned to integrate mvas into the curriculum and schedule. Prep-kc's initiatives have resulted in 11,627 graduates earning an mva through 2025, exceeding the original six-year target of 10,000 mvas. By 2025, 74% of graduates earned at least one mva. Students who earn mvas are more likely to enroll in college, persist through their second year, and graduate than peers who did not earn an mva. Prep-kc continues to scale mva attainment through school redesign strategies that embed career exploration, project-based learning, and industry mentorship into daily instruction. By 2030, every student graduating from a partner high school will earn at least one mva aligned with their postsecondary aspirations. These redesign efforts also include integrating early college and career experiences for elementary and middle school students, supporting personalized plans for high school and beyond. Pathways to technology: prep-kc's pathways to technology program provides high school students with coursework and hands-on experience in technology fields. Students attend classes onsite at oracle's south Kansas city campus. Since 2017, 89% of participants have identified as black, latinx, or a person of color, and 37% are female. Project polaris enables students to develop open-source software solutions for nonprofit and community partners, providing them with functional, real-world technology experience.math relays: prep-kc hosts math relays for students in grades 5-12. These events provide individual and team challenges in algebra, geometry, data, and number sense at levels aligned to students' current math courses. Last year, over 1,000 students participated. The program emphasizes logic, problem-solving, and collaboration, building foundational skills that support college readiness and career preparation.college and career exploration: prep-kc supports students in grades 3-8 in exploring a wide range of occupations through interactions with industry professionals. In the 2024-2025 school year, 7,188 students participated in in-person events, and 16,750 participated virtually. A total of 1,080 volunteers representing 411 businesses engaged with students, contributing over 4,130 hours of volunteer service. These activities help students develop awareness of career pathways in healthcare, technology, business, and skilled trades.data science: prep-kc's data in action initiative provides eighth-grade students with project-based data science instruction. Students engage with authentic datasets, work with industry professionals, and develop data analytics skills. In the 2024-2025 school year, 747 students enrolled in the course, and 307 earned an industry-recognized data analyt

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 79.6%; rating input score 80
• Program expense ratio: 90.3%; rating input score 90
• Fundraising efficiency: $24.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • 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: 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 13.4%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.64; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 19.9%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings