Sussex Montessori School Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 822404164
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Seaford, DE, USA
- Phone
- 3024045367
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $8,141,258
- Expenses
- $8,072,353
- Assets
- $22,185,345
- Liabilities
- $17,725,317
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- LISA COLDIRON (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $157,994 total reported compensation
- MASON FALLIGANT (BOARD MEMBER AND TEACHER): $81,138 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of the school is to nurture the development of empathetic, collaborative, persistent and innovative global and community citizens in accordance with the time-tested philosophy of maria montessori.
What it reported doing in 2024
The '24/'25 academic year was the school's fourth year of school operations. There were 383 students enrolled.the school uses the montessori method to educate children through authentic personalized learning experiences, respectful relationships, opportunities to innovate, and a focus on global citizenship. The school enrolls students aged 5-12 years old (kindergarten through grade 6) who wish to participate in the montessori approach. The school provides an option for families who seek a brain-based, child-centered, differentiated learning environment.the school uses the responsive classroom approach to develop a consistent and coherent positive school environment across the school community. This research-based approach has been shown to positively impact student achievement, improve teacher-student interactions, and increase the amount of time children are engaged in the classroom. The responsive classroom approach provides a framework for the social climate of the montessori classroom and school.a distinctive feature of a montessori school is the celebration of cultural and global awareness. The immediate and extended families of montessori students are an integral part of the school culture. Their expertise about their personal culture and unique experiences provide breadth and depth to the curriculum resulting in the development of empathy and multicultural appreciation.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 83% 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
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 liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 88
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 94
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.2%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 88.8%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: $118.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 20th 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: 0.8%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.75; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.8; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 34% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 23.9% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 26% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 88.2% of revenue deployed · 88.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $158K · 10 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.