SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
Imagination Lab School
Palo Alto, CA · Independent schoolNAIS MEMBER
THE READ · FREE SUMMARY
Imagination Lab School sits in the watch range. Reserves cover 5 months of operating expense, a thin runway. Revenue is unusually diversified at 55% tuition-dependent (peer median 81%). Staff compensation runs 51% of expenses, well below the peer median, worth understanding why. Expenses are outpacing revenue 12.2% vs -4.7% per year over three years, signaling margin compression worth flagging. NACUBO Composite Financial Index: 1.5 / 10, watch.
Imagination Lab School runs only 55% tuition-dependent — unusually diversified for an independent school. Endowment payout and contributions carry meaningful weight in the operating budget.
Imagination Lab School reported $1.7M in revenue against $1.7M in expenses in fiscal year 2023, the most recent filing on record. Net assets stood at $682K — about 0.40x annual operating expense.
Operating margin landed at 1.0%, with 54.9% of revenue coming from tuition. Among same-size peers, that puts Imagination Lab School at the p52 on operating margin.
$1.7M
REVENUE FY2023
1.0%
OP MARGIN
20
PEERS RESOLVED
IRS FORM 990 · DATA THROUGH FY2023
THE FULL REPORT
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Ten panels on Imagination Lab 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, Imagination Lab School ranks 20th 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.
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