Ascend Charter Schools
Ascend Charter Schools reported $137.6 million in revenue and $138.9 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $83.01 went to program services, $16.99 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 92.3% of the total. Government grants made up 5.6%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $222,349 (PRINCIPAL). 51 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 17% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $139MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $138MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 83.0% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 17.0% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 6.7% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 5.6% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 92.3% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $222,349 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.16% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 51 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 1.9 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 10 of 10 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseAscend Charter Schools is a network of k-12 public Charter Schools serving 5,208 students in 17 schools across brooklyn, new york's most populous borough. Our undertaking is to lead our students on a great intellectual adventure, provide them with an exceptional college preparatory education, and place them firmly on the path to success in college and beyond
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRINCIPAL Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $203,696 | $0 | $18,653 | $222,349 |
| PRINCIPAL Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $191,053 | $0 | $15,172 | $206,225 |
| PRINCIPAL Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $169,442 | $0 | $32,709 | $202,151 |
| PRINCIPAL Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $178,677 | $0 | $16,681 | $195,358 |
| PRINCIPAL Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $148,271 | $0 | $18,937 | $167,208 |
51 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Ascend Charter Schools (Part VII, line 2).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b10 · 10 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aNo
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5942
- Volunteers Part I, line 612
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| ASCEND LEARNING Management services | $16,818,899 |
| LAVINIA GROUP LLC Curriculum consulting | $3,520,930 |
| DBI PROJECTS LLC Building project management services | $352,783 |
| BGS ADVISORS LLC School advisory services | $300,000 |
| SAVCON CONSTRUCTION LLC Construction services | $202,492 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 8 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
1 private foundation reported grants to Ascend Charter Schools totaling $316K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Ascend Charter Schools's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Ascend Charter Schools, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Ascend Charter Schools spent in FY2025, $83.01 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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- Hong Kong International School Association LimitedHong Kong, · revenue $138M · programs 83.0% · FY2025
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Questions people ask
How much of Ascend Charter Schools's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Ascend Charter Schools reported that 83.0% of its $138.9 million in expenses went to program services, 17.0% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Ascend Charter Schools pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Ascend Charter Schools reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $222,349, for the role of PRINCIPAL (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Ascend Charter Schools get its money?
Of $137.6 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 6.7% came from contributions and grants (including 5.6% from government grants) and 92.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Ascend Charter Schools a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 45-3957158 as a 501(c)(3) organization (school), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202621359349317202 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202521359349304122 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202441239349301534 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202341359349319839 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202231379349300703 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202131379349305603 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 45-3957158: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.