San Luis Obispo Classical Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
203131883
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
Phone
8055488700
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Primary, Elementary Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,219,947
Expenses
$8,365,510
Assets
$8,908,421
Liabilities
$1,975,729

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SUSAN THEULE (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SUSAN THEULE (PRESIDENT): $138,202 total reported compensation
  • AMANDA AINSWORTH (BUSINESS DIRECTOR): $119,058 total reported compensation
  • MIRANDA MARTINEZ (TREASURER): $81,466 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

A public benefit corp that provides a classical education model to the communities within san luis obispo county and supports parents in their efforts to educate their children.

What it reported doing in 2024

To conduct classes in math, language, arts, history, science and other electives at the early childhood, elementary, middle school and high school levels and to work with parents to monitor students' progress in the home schooling and site based education components.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. 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: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 75
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.5%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 86.1%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 31.5%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.06; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.6% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.5% of revenue deployed · 86.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $7.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $138K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 59/100.