Phoenix Country Day School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 860172671
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Paradise Valley, Arizona, US
- Phone
- 602.955.8200
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Primary, Elementary Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $36,323,827
- Expenses
- $30,191,850
- Assets
- $106,725,371
- Liabilities
- $10,504,038
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
27 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARTIN FELLI (PRESIDENT)
- DARRYL BERGER (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
- CHRIS ASHBY (VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE)
- JULIE SABEEH (VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT)
Highest reported compensation
- ANDREW RODIN (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $680,745 total reported compensation
- LYNETTA BINGER (HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL): $215,786 total reported compensation
- ROSALIND ABERO (ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL): $210,541 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 a challenging, college-preparatory education in a diverse and inclusive community that fosters intellectual curiosity, integrity, and a lifelong love of learning.
What it reported doing in 2024
Phoenix country day school has always exhibited the best in independent school education: simultaneously staying true to our roots and traditions, while being nimble and forward thinking to prepare the world's leaders of tomorrow. Pcds provides education to 765 students in pre-k through 12th grade: number of students. There were 158 individual students who received grants.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 78% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 92
- Sustainability: 72
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.3%; rating input score 64
- Program expense ratio: 79.6%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.85 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- 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: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 27th 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 16.9%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.53; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.5%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 64.3% of revenue deployed · 79.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $24M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $681K · 27 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $20M reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 13 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
- 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 28/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.