The Primary School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 371975407
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
- Location
- East Palo Alto, CA, USA
- Phone
- 6503760272
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Management & Technical Assistance
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $9,393,547
- Expenses
- $9,840,445
- Assets
- $865,419
- Liabilities
- $386,270
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
15 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JAIME KIDD (CEO & PRESIDENT)
- COURTNEY GARCIA (FORMER CEO & PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- COURTNEY GARCIA (FORMER CEO & PRESIDENT): $230,833 total reported compensation
- JAIME KIDD (CEO & PRESIDENT): $223,964 total reported compensation
- JEROME INTIA (VP OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS): $223,830 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Improve education, health, and family support services throughout the united states.
What it reported doing in 2024
The primary school is expanding the boundaries of traditional education. Our holistic model weaves together education, health and family support services to ensure underserved children have the system of care they need to lead meaningful and emotionally, mentally and physically healthy lives. The primary school is committed to designing a model that is replicable in communities across the united states and redefines what is possible for underserved children and families. We are investing in design, research, evaluation and dissemination that will allow us to replicate our model and share out learning to others.in april 2025, the organization announced that both the east palo alto and bay area campuses will be closing at the end of the 2025-2026 school year (june 2026). The organization will continue to operate in a reduced capacity as remaining funds and assets are dispersed in accordance with the organization's asset distribution plan.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 69% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 15
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 73.3%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 69.9%; rating input score 70
- Fundraising efficiency: $42.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th 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: Missing
- 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: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: -4.8%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.09; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.45; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.3%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 34.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -39.9% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 73.3% of revenue deployed · 69.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $231K · 15 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $364K reported
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 11 filed related-organization links
- 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 2/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 24/100.