Communities in Schools of Cleveland County Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
- Income
- $460,263
- Spending
- $416,429
- Spent on programs
- 87%
- Reserves
- 9.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 55%
- Employees
- 17
- Volunteers
- 72
- Highest pay
- $60,793, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 83 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 19% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1587% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 96% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $169,007 spent. Middle School ProgramsStudent Support Coaches at Burns Middle School and Shelby Middle School provide supports that include in-school academic and enrichment services in a variety of formats. Programming provides students, and their parents/guardians when applicable, a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, and exposure to certain strategies based on an individualized student-support plan that focuses on goals related to behavior, attendance, and coursework. Services are based on identified needs and established goals and may include academic support, academic enrichment, service-learning, character education, leadership, financial literacy, and family-engagement activities, among others. Student Support Coaches work as partners with school staff, students, and families to develop a caseload of vulnerable students who would most benefit from their services. The schools also benefit from whole-school activities and events.
- $153,707 spent. High School ProgramsThrough a variety of delivery options and programming, CIS Graduation Coaches provide the necessary coaching, resources, and support to high school students and their parents/guardians so that they persist to graduation and are more knowledgeable and better equipped to chart a course for post-secondary education, vocational training, and/or a military or other career. Services provide students, and their parents/guardians when applicable, a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, and exposure to supports based on an individualized student-support plan that focuses on areas such as behavior, attendance, and coursework through a variety of strategies related to communication, time-management, study skills, college tours, financial aid and scholarship information, SAT/ACT preparation, the college-application process, job shadowing and internship opportunities, career fairs, community service/service-learning opportunities, and other topics aligned with improving academic performance. Graduation Coaches are based at Burns High School and Shelby High School and work as partners with school staff, students, and families to develop a caseload of vulnerable students who would most benefit from their services. Services are offered during the regular school day in both one-on-one and group settings. The schools also benefit from whole-school activities and events.
- $41,048 spent. Community-based Programs MentoringThe Mentoring Program provides a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult for vulnerable youth. Referrals are accepted from CIS programs and other community agencies. Youth eligible for the Mentoring Program are ages 9-17 and enrolled in or suspended from Cleveland County Schools. The goal of the community-based program is to positively impact the graduation rate and the risk factors for dropping out, including involvement with the juvenile-justice system and other negative behaviors.Family Engagement and AdvocacyThe Family Engagement and Advocacy program serves families across the organizations footprint who are in need of additional support to help their students achieve success. The Family Engagement and Advocacy Coordinator assesses families basic, mental-health, healthcare, academic, and other needs and connects them to applicable resources.Program AccomplishmentsAccording to the Organization's records, the following program outcomes were achieved at its sites during the 2024-2025 academic year. Provided targeted/intensive support services to 138 students through Middle School Programs, and 76 students through High School Programs Provided other services/supports to 2,678 non-case-managed students and 165 parents. This encompassed over 110 hours of supports related to topics such as attendance outreach and incentives; academic assistance; gang-violence prevention; bullying; parent family resources/referrals; college and career readiness; financial literacy; life skills; service-learning; motivational speaking; cultural enrichment; and social-emotional learning, and professional mental health. Engaged 72 volunteers for a total of 1,214 hours Furnished school supplies to district staff as needed Made the following impact: 91% of students served were promoted, 100% of seniors served graduated, 60% of students served made progress toward behavior-related goals, 70% of students served made progress toward attendance-related goals, 85% of students served made progress toward coursework-related goals, 100% made progress toward social emotional learning-related goals, and 100% made progress toward college and career readiness-related goals
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 1992.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.