SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
Hickory Day School
Hickory, NC · Independent schoolNAIS MEMBER
THE READ · FREE SUMMARY
Hickory Day School is burning the cushion faster than the 18-month buffer suggests. Expenses are outpacing revenue 10.7% vs 1.1% per year over three years, and the latest operating margin is -13.1% on a 81% tuition-dependent revenue mix. Covering the deficit at today's rate, it would take more than a decade to exhaust reserves — the full budget, by contrast, is covered for about 18 months if every revenue line stopped. The board conversation here is the recovery plan for the operating model and the timeline to break-even. NACUBO Composite Financial Index: 1.8 / 10, watch.
Hickory Day School reported $1.7M in revenue against $2.0M in expenses in fiscal year 2024, the most recent filing on record. Net assets stood at $2.9M — about 1.50x annual operating expense.
Operating margin landed at -13.1%, with 80.9% of revenue coming from tuition. Among same-size peers, that puts Hickory Day School at the p3 on operating margin.
$1.7M
REVENUE FY2024
-13.1%
OP MARGIN
20
PEERS RESOLVED
IRS FORM 990 · DATA THROUGH FY2024
THE FULL REPORT
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Ten panels on Hickory Day 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, Hickory Day School ranks 19th 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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