The Canterbury Episcopal School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
752383037
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2017
Official website data refreshed
Jul 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2017
Location
Desoto, TX, USA
Phone
9725727200
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Primary, Elementary Schools
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,160,872
Expenses
$3,150,523
Assets
$5,478,227
Liabilities
$6,082,661

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Adrian Barfield (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Misty Stern (Head of School): $78,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Canterbury Episcopal School provides a rigorous education in the humanities, arts, social and natural sciences for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The faculty encourages Canterbury students to explore and examine a recognized body of scholarship that prepares individuals for life as informed citizens. The educational experience is structured to develop a mastery of subject matter as well as a life-long love of learning. The Canterbury Episcopal School inspires in each student a love of learning in preparation for college with an emphasis on academic excellence, spiritual development, appreciation of diversity and social responsibility.

What it reported doing in 2017

The education of children in pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade. The Canterbury Episcopal School seeks to realize the following major educational objectives: to provide an academic environment in which each child's intellectual, emotional, social, aesthetic, and physical growth is accompanied by a corresponding spiritual and moral growth; to nurture self esteem and a sense of fulfillment in each child; and to cultivate in each child a sense of social and moral responsibility and genuine respect of others.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 84% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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. The required major-donor schedule is missing or incomplete and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 95
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $140.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 90; 90th 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: No; rating input score 0
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -45.8%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.74; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.11; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.5%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.2% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -3.2% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $78K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 42 of 42 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2009 to 2017
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Major donor itemization scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 5/100.