Up Education Network

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
272194956
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Dorchester, MA, USA
Phone
6173075980
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,424,480
Expenses
$2,768,815
Assets
$2,114,423
Liabilities
$284,875

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HILLARY CASSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • HILLARY CASSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $275,966 total reported compensation
  • MIKE BOWER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $171,946 total reported compensation
  • ASHLEY HUTCHINSON O'CONNOR (CFO (AS OF 07/2024)): $168,099 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 principal intent of the organization is to conduct activities to advance education reform in public schools, including public charter schools. Specifically, the organization will engage in activities to support and transform underperforming schools into high-performing schools that ensure all students, from kindergarten through high school, possess the academic and social skills necessary to achieve their full potential and thrive in four-year colleges.

What it reported doing in 2024

Up education network is one of the few school management organizations in the country successfully tackling the challenges of in-district school turnaround. Up has restarted and continues to manage two schools in boston, serving 1,300 of the state's historically underserved students. Local school districts are a key partner in up's work to transform chronically underperforming district schools into extraordinary schools. Up education network is a winner of new schools venture fund "education reform organization of the year" in recognition of our extraordinary results. Up education network schools has had a school ranked #1 in the state of Massachusetts in student growth for some subject or special population in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019, and our schools have increased proficiency rates by 2-3x within 2 years of turnaround. Up's results have been validated by independent researchers. A study in the american economic review by researchers at mit found that up delivers exceptionally large, causal impact for our students in both math and ela. Our students with the greatest need -- students with low prior year performance, students with disabilities and english language learners, tend to see the most growth at up.up education network delivers high-quality academic and operational services, manages district governance and other external stakeholder relationships, and supports school leadership teams in functional areas such as special education, english language learning, innovation, and talent management.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 66% 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.

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: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.9%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 75.4%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -14.2%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.76; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 48.5%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.9% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.9% of revenue deployed · 75.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $276K · 16 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $195K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.