Wellesley Montessori School Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042547266
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Wellesley, MA, USA
Phone
7812376670
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Kindergarten, Preschool, Nursery School, Early Admissions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,346,735
Expenses
$1,565,747
Assets
$771,634
Liabilities
$100,073

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM ERLANDSON (DIRECTOR/VICE PRESIDENT)
  • IDA FRIDMANN (DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT)
  • VANESSA LARKIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • VANESSA LARKIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $156,343 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our goal is to have each child fulfill his or her potential in a caring, safe and challenging atmosphere. Wms is dedicated to the philosophy and principles of dr. Maria montessori. We follow the child-centered montessori method of education. This three-year program is designed to provide your child with the tools fundamental to learning while fostering independence. Parents are supported through educational resources, bi-monthly parent education and support sessions, and they are encouraged to be active participants in the school community.

What it reported doing in 2024

The wellesley montessori school, established in 1974, is dedicated to providing quality education to children 3 months old to 6 years old in a pleasant, caring environment conducive to learning. Affiliated with the american montessori society, we offer a full montessori program. The classes have 15 to 24 children of mixed ages with three teachers in each class. The classes meet five days a week, three hours per day. They also have the child care center for those families wishing for additional care. Enrollment for this fiscal year was approximately 58 students and approximately 70% of those children are enrolled in the child care center.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 92% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 77
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.5%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 82.9%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -16.3%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.49; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.4% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.5% of revenue deployed · 82.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $156K · 6 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.