PA Virtual Charter School
Legal name: Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 233075231
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- King of Prussia, PA, USA
- Phone
- 866-728-2751
- Rating
- 68
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $59,530,781
- Expenses
- $51,168,360
- Assets
- $55,281,040
- Liabilities
- $4,973,054
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CARL SCHWARTZ (PRESIDENT)
- BRENDA SACHLEBEN (VICE PRESIDENT)
- DR DEBRA HEATH-THORNTON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- DR DEBRA HEATH-THORNTON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $198,848 total reported compensation
- SHERRI TATE (CHIEF HR & MARKETING OFFIC): $193,815 total reported compensation
- SHAIKHA BUALI (CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER): $145,760 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To provide Pennsylvania public K-12 students a superior cyber charter option, continuously improving by using innovative technologies, well-rounded curricula, and individualized educational delivery in safe learning environments. PA Virtual seeks to equip our students with excellent academic education, social skills, and character development for their lives as productive 21st-century citizens.
What it reported doing in 2024
Federal title programs (title i, ii, iv). Title i is authorized by the no child left behind act of 2001, which is the largest federally funded educational program. The purpose of this title is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments. This program authorized by congress, provides supplemental funds to school districts and designed to assist students in meeting state content and performance standards in reading, language arts, and mathematics (basic programs). Title ii provides funding for professional development to support achievement and maintain a highly qualified teaching staff. Title iv's purpose is to support programs that prevent violence in and around schools; that prevent the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs; that involve parents and communities; and that are coordinated with related federal, state, school, and community efforts and resources to foster a safe and drug-free learning environment that supports student academic achievement
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 92% 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 71
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 68
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 51.6%; rating input score 52
- Program expense ratio: 60.9%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 14%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.08; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.6%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 51.6% of revenue deployed · 60.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $31.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $199K · 12 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $559K reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.