Trinity Classical Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
954790280
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Valencia, CA, USA
Phone
6612962601
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,322,820
Expenses
$11,158,156
Assets
$20,637,040
Liabilities
$17,134,982

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SARAH E CADDOW (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SARAH E CADDOW (PRESIDENT): $350,307 total reported compensation
  • JEFFREY KULP (CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER): $180,650 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW DIXON (PRINCIPAL - GRAMMAR): $153,424 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Trinity classical academy is a non-profit, non-denominational tk-12 collegepreparatory christian school. The education is grounded in the classical tradition, and the christian faith. The student body is represented by over 80 different churches in our community. Trinity classical academy is funded by tuition and third party donors.

What it reported doing in 2024

Trinity began its 2024-2025 school year with a full tk-6 grammar school and a 7th and 8th grade logic school. In addition, trinity has a full 9th - 12th grade high school. Trinity graduated its 18th 6th grade class and 13th 12th grade class in 2024. In addition, each student that has graduated from trinity has been accepted for admittance to a four year college. In the 2024-2025 school year trinity had two classes k-6th grade. Finally, trinity enrolls learning disabled students in our "imago dei" school. Providing educational services for children with autism and other learning desabilities. In the 2017-2018 school year, trinity established the libertas prparatory school to serve individual learning students of the santa clarita valley. Trinty classical academy had a total of 555 students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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.
  • 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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 62
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.9%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 79.9%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.87 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.5%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.85; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.83; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.9% of revenue deployed · 79.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 3 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $8.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $350K · 10 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 40/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.