Sanborn Christian School
Legal name: Society for Christian Instruction
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 426003491
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Sanborn, IA, USA
- Phone
- 712-729-3288
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,567,347
- Expenses
- $1,534,373
- Assets
- $3,843,285
- Liabilities
- $64,605
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- QUINT DEGROOT (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- QUINT DEGROOT (PRESIDENT)
- LEE VELLEMA (VICE PRESIDE)
- JEREMY VAN ESS (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
And Philosophy _MISSION STATEMENT:_** _EDUCATING UNDER GOD'S WORD FOR SERVING GOD IN HIS WORLD._ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). In our personal relationship to God we teach that all life begins and ends with God, therefore, God has a claim on our life. We are created in God's image and must reflect that image in every aspect of life. This image is best reflected as we show love for God above all and submit ourselves to obedient service in the coming of God's Kingdom. In our relationship to fellow human beings we teach that love for God above all comes to expression as we fulfill Christ's mandate to love our neighbor as ourselves. We put the welfare of others ahead of self. We actively seek out and help, by word and deed, those in need. What we do for others is the same as doing it for Christ Himself. In our relations.
What it reported doing in 2024
Operation of a christian grade school with approximately 100 students.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 90% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 70
- Sustainability: 58
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.5%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 90.1%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th 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: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 2.1%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.5; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 68th 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: 88.5% of revenue deployed · 90.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 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.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 19/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.