Stem Preparatory Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
272163445
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Phone
6159212200
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$16,130,652
Expenses
$17,051,153
Assets
$20,105,796
Liabilities
$9,581,744

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR KRISTIN MCGRANER (FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DEMETRIUS GREER (CEO & COO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DEMETRIUS GREER (CEO & COO): $235,083 total reported compensation
  • CHARLIE WILLIAMS (DIR OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS): $183,763 total reported compensation
  • SONYA CRUES (HCE): $142,115 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide a college preparatory education with an integrated focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, to fifth through twelfth grade students in south nashville.

What it reported doing in 2024

Stem preparatory academy provides a college preparatory education with an integrated focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem). For the current school year, stem served over 1,000 students within our two schools, stem prep middle (5-8) and stem prep high (9-12) with the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented students who (1) successfully graduate for the most competitive universities in the country, and (2) become leaders of the 21st century. Stem continues to outperform peer schools throughout the state across all subject areas. Since opening its doors in july 2011, stem has been honored with numerous awards for outstanding student and teacher performance.in may 2025, stem graduated its seventh high school class, comprised predominantly of students who have been continuously enrolled at stem since middle school. The graduating class earned $8 million in college scholarships, and over 900 percent of graduates were accepted onto post-secondary institutions. Further, through stem's dual credit partnership, the graduating class earned over 200 college credits. Students enrolled in stem's health sciences pathway completed requisite coursework and practice, per the Tennessee board of health and the department of education, for the certified medical assistant (cma) license.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - Most voting board members are independent and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 51
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 55%; rating input score 55
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.7%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.18; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.48; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.7%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.9% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59% of revenue deployed · 55% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $9.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $235K · 12 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 53/100.