Connections Academy

Legal name: South Carolina Connections Academy Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
261966726
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Columbia, SC, USA
Phone
1-833-591-0251
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$61,783,234
Expenses
$59,431,608
Assets
$34,843,405
Liabilities
$12,662,008

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GARY PRINCE (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • SELENA BLACKSTON (BOARD MEMBER)
  • SHERRY CATES (BOARD MEMBER)
  • ADAM HALL (VICE PRESIDE)

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

Connections Academy® is a tuition-free, online public school that lets students learn in a way that works best for them. Register%2C+online+teaching+strategies%2C+accommodations+to+support+diverse+learning+needs%2C+and+more.) This event is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of special education and discover how our school helps every learner thrive. Our staff will discuss various resources, answer questions, and offer helpful guidance. Learn about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), online teaching strategies, accommodations to support diverse learning needs, and more. Special Education: Meeting Special Needs Online.

What it reported doing in 2024

South Carolina connections academy, inc is a public virtual charter school located in columbia, South Carolina that serves students in grades k-12. The school is free of charge and allows students to attend from home. The purpose of the South Carolina connections academy is to help each student maximize his or her potential and meet the highest performance standards in education. This is done by utilizing technology and student, family, and teacher interaction. Each student receives an individualized learning plan that fits their needs and on-on-one support from their teachers.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 99% 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.7%; rating input score 88
  • Program expense ratio: 92.3%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.8%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.36; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 87.7% of revenue deployed · 92.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $54.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.