The Waldorf School of Garden City

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
111855654
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Garden City, NY, USA
Phone
5167423434
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Kindergarten, Preschool, Nursery School, Early Admissions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$14,978,985
Expenses
$14,045,641
Assets
$15,279,482
Liabilities
$3,132,611

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • KELLY O'HALOGAN (FACULTY CHAIR): $221,556 total reported compensation
  • SHANE FLANAGAN (ATHLETIC DIRECTOR): $167,350 total reported compensation
  • EMANUEL VEGA (DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS): $132,972 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 waldorf school of garden city educates children to meet the world with purpose, gratitude and respect. Our curriculum, inspired by rudolf steiner, progresses in accordance with child development, awakening students to the experience of knowledge, strengthening their sense of moral responsibility, and empowering them to act with courage and conviction. The school's aim to graduate a diverse group of young people distinguished by the scope and acuity of their minds as well as the depth of their character.

What it reported doing in 2024

In keeping with the school's core mission, during the 2024-2025 academic year, the waldorf school of garden city educated 304 students from nursery through twelfth grade. An additional 90 families participated in the parent-child program, which immerses the young child in an environment that supports healthy, age-appropriate sensory, social, and emotional development and offers relaxing activity and conversation for the adults. Additional programs such as the pre-school early morning dropoff and afternoon playgroup and extended day programs are offered, along with a wide range of after-school sports and activities resulting in a school day beginning at 7:30am and often extending beyond 6:00pm. The waldorf curriculum, which is interdisciplinary and experientially oriented, meets the needs of our students at each stage of their development balancing intellectual rigor with artistic expressional and purposeful activity. During the 2024-2025 school year, the auxiliary programs and sports were all opened to the students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 85% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 80% for direct work, and 20% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.4%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 77.8%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.65 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd 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: Pass
    • 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: 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: 88.2%; rating input score 88; 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: 6.2%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.09; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.7%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.4% of revenue deployed · 77.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $10.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $222K · 25 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 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: 9 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.