SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
SCHOOL PROFILE · FREE PREVIEW
Chicago Friends School
Chicago, IL · Independent schoolNAIS MEMBER
THE READ · FREE SUMMARY
Chicago Friends School is burning the cushion faster than the 2-month buffer suggests. Expenses are outpacing revenue -7.2% vs -20.3% per year over three years, and the latest operating margin is -15.0% on a 79% tuition-dependent revenue mix. Covering the deficit at today's rate, reserves would last roughly 13 more months — the full budget, by contrast, is covered for about 2 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: -1.2 / 10, distressed.
Chicago Friends School holds only 2 months of operating expense in reserve — a thin runway that warrants understanding before walking into a campus visit.
Chicago Friends School reported $508K in revenue against $584K in expenses in fiscal year 2023, the most recent filing on record. Net assets stood at $94K — about 0.16x annual operating expense.
Operating margin landed at -15.0%, with 79.3% of revenue coming from tuition. Among same-size peers, that puts Chicago Friends School at the p17 on operating margin.
$508K
REVENUE FY2023
-15.0%
OP MARGIN
20
PEERS RESOLVED
IRS FORM 990 · DATA THROUGH FY2023
THE FULL REPORT
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Ten panels on Chicago Friends 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, Chicago Friends School ranks 21st 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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