Woodlawn School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 421544637
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Davidson, NC, USA
- Phone
- 7048958653
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Primary, Elementary Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $6,922,135
- Expenses
- $5,820,834
- Assets
- $11,619,903
- Liabilities
- $4,709,598
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- Holly Honeycutt (Head of School): $198,803 total reported compensation
- Sharon Gostomski (Dir. of Finance): $116,366 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 educational philosophy provides the guiding principles that we use to carry out our mission - to produce independent lifelong learners, who are responsible, contributing members of a diverse and global society. We provide a superior learning environment by encouraging critical thinking, curiosity, and diligence. We promote the personal growth of our students by encouraging creativity, leadership, and individuality. We are socially responsible by valuing multiple perspectives, compassion, tolerance, and respect. We incorporate environmental sustainability in our curriculum, school culture, and stewardship of our land and resources. Woodlawn students are joyful learners who choose a bright, optimistic, positive emotional response to change. They are unafraid to learn new things. They have a healthy understanding that failure is essential to success. They have the self-knowledge and confidence to effectively navigate a complex and turbulent world. Woodlawn seeks students who are self-m
What it reported doing in 2024
At Woodlawn our Lower School begins in our Early Childhood Explorer program andcultivates a strong foundation of academic and social-emotional skills through fifthgrade. Our Early Childhood programs nurture and value a childs wonder, spirit, andcuriosity from the classroom, to the garden, and the playground with a responsiveclassroom approach, teaching emotional intelligence, grounded in intentionality, andnature play. In Lower School, we build a strong foundation for lifelong learning, through project-based learning in an integrated curriculum including arts, life skills, service learning, environmental stewardship, outdoor learning, and distinctive elements beyond the classroom. Our Middle School consists of grades 6-8, and intentionally engages adolescents inlearning to think, understand, and apply knowledge through intellectual and practical problem solving, developing good organization, study skills, encouraging personal responsibility, and mature social behavior. Our top priorities in Middle School: guiding students toward independence and self-advocacy. As students come to understand and adapt to their own learning styles, they develop the capabilities to become lifelong learners. Our project-based interdisciplinary curriculum stretches students thinking from the concrete to the abstract; students respond to real-world questions and challenges through an extended inquiry process. Classes are small and discussion-based. Students collaborate with their classmates, using their critical thinking and communication skills. Teachers, as curriculum designers, create innovative projects that engage Middle School students in complex, real-world experiences through which they develop and apply skills and knowledge. Our approach keeps enthusiasm high, while helping students to become creative, resourceful problem solvers.Woodlawns Upper School program prepares students in grades 9-12 for success in college and beyond with a rigorous honors academic program which develops thoughtful and engaged citizens, creative and critical problem-solvers, and skilled communicators and collaborators. Our approach develops thoughtful and engaged citizens, creative and critical problem solvers, and skilled communicators and collaborators. As a learner-centered school, we empower students to actively contribute by influencing policies, taking the lead in clubs/organizations, and collaborating in partnership with teachers to establish meaningful traditions in an intentionally integrative and purposeful close-knit community.Woodlawn also offers a myriad of opportunities beyond the school day - with programsavailable through our Extended Day, After Care, and Summer Camps.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 78% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 66
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 67.8%; rating input score 68
- Program expense ratio: 81.3%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $3.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
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; 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; 63rd 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: 15.9%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.41; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.4%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 67.8% of revenue deployed · 81.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $199K · 13 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $183K reported
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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 12/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 26/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.