Spectrum Academy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 760817459
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Woods Cross, UT, US
- Phone
- +1 801-936-0318
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Charter Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $37,530,113
- Expenses
- $36,847,415
- Assets
- $48,198,291
- Liabilities
- $40,723,795
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Amy Loertscher (President)
- Chris Norlem (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Elizabeth Banner (Exec Dir - Academics): $147,659 total reported compensation
- Jamie Christensen (Exec Dir - Academics): $145,524 total reported compensation
- Brad Nelson (Exec Dir - Finance): $144,622 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Spectrum Academy is the premier charter school in Utah for students with autism and other neurodiversities who would benefit from our unique learning environment. We provide small class sizes, with individualized instruction and an innovative social skills curriculum. We help students reach their fullest potential academically, socially, and emotionally, leading to productive and successful futures.
What it reported doing in 2024
Operation of one public charter school for students from kindergarten to twelfth grade.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 96% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 44
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.2%; rating input score 86
- Program expense ratio: 87.6%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 1.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.31; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.84; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.5%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 86.2% of revenue deployed · 87.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $32.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $148K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.