Sheldon Christian School
Legal name: Sheldon Christian School Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 420782540
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Sheldon, IA, United States
- Phone
- 712-324-2429
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Primary, Elementary Schools
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,372,525
- Expenses
- $1,312,505
- Assets
- $3,858,003
- Liabilities
- $28,058
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KAREN CHRISTIANS (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- LYLE BOLKEMA (DIRECTOR)
- KAREN CHRISTIANS (PRESIDENT)
- JOEL GESINK (TREASURER)
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
The mission of Sheldon Christian School is to prepare God’s children for a lifetime of kingdom service by providing quality God-Centered Education. Have the primary responsibility to provide a God-Centered education for their children because of God’s covenantal relationship with His believers. This education should be carried out in the home, the church, and in schools whose purpose is consistent with the Word of God. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Proverbs 22:6, Romans 12:5) _**Christian Community** :_ Embraces parents, children, and the larger body of Christians. Because Christian education contributes directly to the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom, it is the obligation of the entire Christian community to pray for, establish, and financially support Christian Schools.
What it reported doing in 2024
Sheldon christian school operates a christ-centered school with an enrollment of approximately 100 students.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 82% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 63
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89.1%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 93%; rating input score 93
- Fundraising efficiency: $16.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd 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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.4%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.94; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 89.1% of revenue deployed · 93% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.