The Gill St Bernard's School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
221964930
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Gladstone, NJ, USA
Phone
9082341611
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$32,750,062
Expenses
$31,905,763
Assets
$65,937,048
Liabilities
$15,567,500

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • SIDNEY ROWELL (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $591,559 total reported compensation
  • KELLY GARNES-PAGES (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $307,009 total reported compensation
  • JOEL COLEMAN (UPPER SCHOOL DIRECTOR): $231,507 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Gill st. Bernard's provides a balanced, diverse and secure community that prepares students academically, socially and ethically for college and a meaningful life.

What it reported doing in 2024

Financial aid: scholarships are available to all students. Financial aid is provided to 192 students, and aid in the form of busing is provided to 34 students. We are committed to making a gsb education accessible to newly admitted and enrolled students. Tuition aid grants are awarded to families on an annual basis for qualifying students whose families complete the financial aid application and who demonstrate financial need.parents are required to complete a parent financial statement (pfs) and submit tax documentation each year they apply for aid. Pfs applications are processed by clarity, an organization used by independent schools to assess each individual family's financial need and reasonable family tuition contribution.information submitted by families as part of the financial aid application process is held in strict confidence and reviewed only by the school's financial aid administrator(s) in making aid decisions. While the school does not require an interview in the awarding of financial aid, on occasion parents may be asked to clarify information in their financial aid application. Parents may also request an appointment with the director of admission and financial aid to clarify family circumstances or review a tuition aid grant. Tuition aid grants are reviewed annually and adjusted when indicated by changes in family circumstances and/or the school's overall budget considerations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 91% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 80% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.8%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 86.5%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 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: 2.6%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.07; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.1%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.8% of revenue deployed · 86.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $27.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $592K · 29 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.1M reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 45/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.