Desert Sands Public Charter
Desert Sands Public Charter reported $53.3 million in revenue and $50.4 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $91.20 went to program services, $8.80 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.9% of the total. Government grants made up 98.3%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $422,231 (CFO). 107 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 87% 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 $50MFor 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 $53MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 91.2% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 8.8% | 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 | 99.9% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 98.3% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $422,231 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.84% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 107 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 4.3 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 5 of 5 | 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 expenseThe mission of Desert Sands Public Charter, Inc. is to provide a student-centered, high-quality education for all learners through a safe, supportive, trauma-informed community where students are encouraged to self-advocate, take control of their education, and explore new opportunities and skills in the pursuit of becoming contributing members of society
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFO Officer, 4.00 hrs/week | $38,698 | $319,104 | $64,429 | $422,231 |
| CEO Officer, 5.00 hrs/week | $37,674 | $278,801 | $71,934 | $388,409 |
| AREA SUPERINTENDENT Listed in Part VII, 4.00 hrs/week | $39,723 | $317,408 | $22,992 | $380,123 |
| AREA SUPERINTENDENT Listed in Part VII, 6.00 hrs/week | $39,489 | $242,276 | $65,004 | $346,769 |
| COO Officer, 4.00 hrs/week | $31,283 | $249,973 | $63,976 | $345,232 |
| PRINCIPAL Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $255,256 | $0 | $58,531 | $313,787 |
| AREA SUPERINTENDENT Listed in Part VII, 11.00 hrs/week | $55,990 | $155,719 | $47,781 | $259,490 |
| TEACHER Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $188,839 | $0 | $29,343 | $218,182 |
107 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Desert Sands Public Charter (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $108K (Part IX, line 5).
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–1b5 · 5 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 15aYes
- 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 4Yes
- 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 5686
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| LLAC DBA SCHOLASTIC EDUCATION RESOURCES Educational services | $5,546,395 |
| ANTELOPE VALLEY UHSD Oversight & other svcs | $3,409,163 |
| LLAC DBA SEQUOIA ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCES Administrative services | $2,719,375 |
| UNIFIED PROTECTIVE SERVICES Security | $528,842 |
| STONE CORRAL SCHOOL DITRICT Oversight & other svcs | $444,009 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 7 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Desert Sands Public Charter's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Desert Sands Public Charter, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Desert Sands Public Charter spent in FY2025, $91.20 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Avon Old Farms SchoolAvon, CT · revenue $53M · programs 78.0% · FY2025
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- The University School of Milwaukee CorporationMilwaukee, WI · revenue $53M · programs 85.2% · FY2025
- Miss Porter's SchoolFarmington, CT · revenue $53M · programs 72.0% · FY2025
Questions people ask
How much of Desert Sands Public Charter's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Desert Sands Public Charter reported that 91.2% of its $50.4 million in expenses went to program services, 8.8% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Desert Sands Public Charter pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Desert Sands Public Charter reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $422,231, for the role of CFO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Desert Sands Public Charter get its money?
Of $53.3 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 99.9% came from contributions and grants (including 98.3% from government grants) and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Desert Sands Public Charter a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 48-1272886 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 202621339349308477 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202521299349302787 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202421349349304362 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202341329349308694 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202221339349309762 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202101359349301425 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 48-1272886: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.