Southwest Minnesota Christian Schools
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 410732197
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2008
- Location
- Edgerton, MN, USA
- Phone
- Elementary: 507-442-6181; High School: 507-442-4471
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $11,168,296
- Expenses
- $4,401,210
- Assets
- $14,210,462
- Liabilities
- $735,230
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARK VANDER POL (PRESIDENT)
- JEFF SCHAAP (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- RANDY PFEIFLE (HEAD OF SCHOOLS): $107,954 total reported compensation
- JOHN TOP (DIRECTOR OF LEARNING/ELEM.): $95,031 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Rooted in Christ, Southwest Minnesota Christian Schools cultivates the faith and knowledge of students, so they will grow in wisdom through the Spirit and bear fruit in the world to the glory of God. (Psalm 1:1-3). Admissions criteria include family support of our school philosophy, financial support of the school, an established church relationship, and a Christian commitment based on the infallible word of God. Applications can be made through either our elementary school office 507-442-6181 or the high school office at 507-442-4471. Southwest MN Christian Schools admit students of any race, color, or national ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate in the administration of its education policies, admission programs, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school...
What it reported doing in 2024
We provide education to students from pre-k through 12th grade. In fy2025, we had 413 students and 30 graduates.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 69% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. 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: 59
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 84
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 35.4%; rating input score 35
- Program expense ratio: 89.7%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: $129.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 87; 87th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 60.6%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.23; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 24.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 35.4% of revenue deployed · 89.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $108K · 14 people listed
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 35/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.