Peninsula School Ltd

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
941186181
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Menlo Park, CA, USA
Phone
6503251584
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,220,738
Expenses
$8,331,721
Assets
$22,234,023
Liabilities
$6,056,158

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ALETHEA VAN HILLER (BOARD PRESIDENT (UNTIL 5-31-25))
  • SANA MUJAHID (BOARD VICE PRESIDENT (UNTIL 5-31-25))
  • NINA GREENBLATT (BOARD VICE PRESIDENT (AS OF 5-31-25))
  • JASON PRESSMAN (BOARD PRESIDENT (AS OF 5-31-25))

Highest reported compensation

  • ELIZABETH LEE (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OP): $241,522 total reported compensation
  • JOHANNA AESCHLIMAN (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $179,029 total reported compensation
  • BETTY ACHINSTEIN (TEACHER): $134,378 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Peninsula school creates a space where children thrive and develop their full promise as confident contributors in the world. Here they learn about themselves and others, discovering their passions and growing intellectually in an inclusive community rich with choices, exploration, and play.

What it reported doing in 2024

Prek-8th grade school programs - early childhood, elementary, and middle school education. Peninsula's progressive ideals of play, choice and responsibility, engaging in intellectual inquiry, and building relationships inhabit every part of our natural and inspiring campus.summer school programs our 6 week summer program offers a wide variety of explorative and fun classes for children entering kindergarten up to entering eighth grade in the coming fall.child care programs providing year-round, before and after school care for children whose families need additional care for their children, usually while parents are working.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 87% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 78% for direct work, and 22% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.2%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 66.8%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 82.4%; rating input score 82; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.4%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.67; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.4%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.2% of revenue deployed · 66.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 17 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $242K · 23 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $211K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.