Russell Christian Academy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 452496411
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Meridian, MS, United States
- Phone
- (601) 484-5888
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,363,039
- Expenses
- $2,397,526
- Assets
- $1,911,342
- Liabilities
- $1,058,507
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BRIAN RITTENHOUSE (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- REBECCA LITCHFIELD (BOARD MEMBER)
- LANGFORD KNIGHT (BOARD MEMBER)
- JOEY KNIGHT (BOARD MEMBER)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Russell Christian Academy exists to partner with parents in equipping students to embrace Biblical truth, achieve their God-given potential, and engage the culture for the cause of Christ. A Christian school should be much more than a safe alternative to public school with a required Bible class and once-a-week chapel services. Although possessing these characteristics, Russell Christian Academy exists for a much higher purpose. Our purpose is to serve families who desire not simply a private education, but a distinctly Christian education for their children. We teach absolute truth from a Biblical worldview across multiple curricular disciplines, and we hold Christ as preeminent in the educational process as we partner with parents in training cultural warriors, ready to engage the arena of ideas for the cause of Christ! Biblical principles are integrated into every subject t.
What it reported doing in 2024
With an enrollment of approximately 350 students, russell christian academy provides a well-rounded, college prep education from a biblical worldview. Russell christian academy desires for every student to achieve their god-given potential and honor god with their talents and abilities both inside and outside of the classroom.
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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 83.2%; rating input score 83
- Program expense ratio: 82%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $26.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -1.5%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.8; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 55th 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: 83.2% of revenue deployed · 82% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.