The Vanguard School & Services

What it reported doing in 2024

In the 2024-25 fiscal year, valley forge educational services (vfes) began doing business as (dba) the vanguard school and services (vss) to build on the 65-year legacy of the vanguard school. Through this rebranded name, vss continues to offer a continuum of educational, recreational, and employment-related services for neurodivergent children and adults. Vss's mission is to prepare children and adults with special needs to realize their potential as contributing members of the community. Vss fulfills this mission through three signature programs: the vanguard school, vanguard recreation services, and vanguard employment services.the vanguard schoolestablished in 1959, the vanguard school was the first Pennsylvania-licensed approved private school (aps). The vanguard school serves students aged 5-22 who require a high degree of individualized instruction and clinical support and intervention. Students who are educated at the vanguard school have been identified as individuals with autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, speech-language deficits, intellectual disabilities, and students with social-emotional, executive functioning, and behavioral difficulties. Tuition at the vanguard school is satisfied by school district and pa state funding.while enrollment fluctuates throughout the year, as of june 30, 2025, the vanguard school served 228 students from 57 school districts and charter schools throughout Pennsylvania. The elementary school served 47 students, the middle school served 46 students, and the high school served 71 students. The post-secondary program, vanguard transition center (vtc), provided 64 students, aged 18-22, with workforce readiness skills through either on-campus skills training or community-based vocational training (cbvt). Twenty students participated in the cbvt program. Cbvt increased from 10 to 14 community worksites, allowing students more opportunities to gain work skills through instructional coaching. Also, six students received their servsafe food handler certification through our on-campus program, phin's cafe. Phin's caf is a student-run coffee shop and food establishment catering to students and staff.the vanguard school continued to advance its mission of providing high-quality, individualized education for children and adolescents with diverse learning needs. As of may 2025, we held 434 individualized education program (iep) meetings, ensuring that each student received tailored supports aligned with their unique goals and developmental progress.students also participated in more than 150 community-based vocational training (cbvt) trips, offering hands-on work experiences and opportunities to apply classroom learning in real-world settings. The high school student council demonstrated strong leadership and community engagement through a food donation drive benefiting the chester county food bank and a donation drive supporting home of the sparrow, a homeless shelter located in exton, pa.collaboration and partnership remained central to our instructional approach. We consulted with the timothy school to enhance instructional coaching and incorporate concepts of structured teaching across identified classrooms. Additionally, through our ongoing partnership with pattan's autism initiative, vanguard continued to implement evidence-based practices that support special education teams throughout Pennsylvania. With pattan's consultation, our instructional coaches supported 12 classrooms during the year. We also welcomed sandi spuhler as a new instructional coach to strengthen the implementation of our social thinking curriculum.the vanguard school remained dedicated to nurturing creativity and confidence through arts and performance. During the year, 64 students participated in the annual school musical as cast or crew members, and 151 students showcased their talents across campus-wide talent shows.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 80.1%; rating input score 80
• Program expense ratio: 86.1%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $0.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 2; 2nd 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: Pass
  • 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: 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: 13.2%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.7; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.7%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings