SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
Cooper School
Charleston, SC · Independent schoolNAIS MEMBER
THE READ · FREE SUMMARY
Cooper School looks durable. Reserves cover 9 months of operating expense, a thin runway. Revenue is highly concentrated at 94% tuition-dependent (peer median 89%): a soft admissions year would flow straight to the bottom line. Staff compensation runs 49% of expenses, well below the peer median, worth understanding why. Expenses are outpacing revenue 18.2% vs 14.9% per year over three years, signaling margin compression worth flagging. NACUBO Composite Financial Index: 6.5 / 10, strong.
Cooper School operates at 94% tuition dependency — among the most tuition-reliant 18% of peers in its cohort. A soft admissions year would flow straight to operations.
Cooper School reported $3.7M in revenue against $3.3M in expenses in fiscal year 2024, the most recent filing on record. Net assets stood at $2.4M — about 0.73x annual operating expense.
Operating margin landed at 10.1%, with 93.8% of revenue coming from tuition. Among same-size peers, that puts Cooper School at the p57 on operating margin.
$3.7M
REVENUE FY2024
10.1%
OP MARGIN
20
PEERS RESOLVED
IRS FORM 990 · DATA THROUGH FY2024
THE FULL REPORT
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Ten panels on Cooper School: financial health, peer comparison, community demographics, paying & giving capacity, competitive position, enrollment demand, leadership compensation, governance — and the questions to ask. One subscription opens every school.
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WHERE THIS SCHOOL SITS · REVENUE SCALE VS PEERS
Among 20 similar peer schools, Cooper School ranks 3rd by latest 990 revenue.
Revenue scale
WHAT’S IN THE REPORT
- Financials — IRS Form 990, up to nine years on file.
- Enrollment & demand — IRS 990 tuition revenue + U.S. Census county births.
- Competition — NCES private (PSS) + public (CCD) school inventory.
- Demographics — U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates.
- Local economy — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW and CES.
- Peer set — 1,620 independent schools with verified financials.
The full school report
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