Blackstone Academy Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF BLACKSTONE ACADEMY IS TO BUILD A SMALL COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS AND LEADERS THAT FOSTERS INDEPENDENT INQUIRY, TEAMWORK, COMMUNICATION, AND PROBLEM SOLVING.
- Income
- $7.1 million
- Spending
- $7.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- -2.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 87%
- Employees
- 100
- Volunteers
- 35
- Highest pay
- $129,444, head of school
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
Weak: 43 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 46% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 18 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 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 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 (1)
- $6.1 million spent. THE CENTRAL PURPOSE OF BLACKSTONE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL IS TO DEVELOP HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE EQUIPPED TO BE PROBLEM SOLVERS IN THEIR OWN LIVES. THEY MUST BE ABLE TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THEIR IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS THE LARGER COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT ARE KEY THEMES AT BACS. IN ORDER TO REACH THESE GOALS, THEY MUST BE PROFICIENT IN KEY ACADEMIC SKILLS, BUT ALSO BE ABLE TO APPLY THEIR LEARNING IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS. DURING THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, THE FACULTY AND STAFF WERE LASER FOCUSED ON COMPLETING A PROFICIENCY BASED ASSESSMENT AND GRADING SYSTEM THAT HAD BEEN DEVELOPED OVER SEVERAL YEARS BUT WAS JUST BEING FULLY IMPLEMENT. THIS CHANGE MEANS THAT ALL LEARNERS ARE NOW ASSESSED PRIMARILY ON WHAT THEY CAN DEMONSTRATE, THEY KNOW AND CAN APPLY. THE NEW SYSTEM DOES NOT GIVE STUDENTS A LETTER GRADE BUT A NUMBER REPRESENTATIVE OF MEETING /EXCEEDING STANDARD OR APPROACHING OR NOT MEETING STANDARD. THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN BUILT TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT, SO THAT STUDENTS, PARENTS AND SUPPORTING STAFF MEMBERS CAN CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHERE A STUDENT STANDS AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO MEET PROFICIENCY. IT IS OUR ON-GOING GOAL TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE AND IMPROVE THE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM. HOWEVER, DEPARTMENT AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GROUP FEEDBACK INDICATES THAT TEACHERS ARE NOW MORE ALIGNED THAN EVER IN THEIR APPROACH TO CURRICULUM, ASSESSMENT AND IN JUDGING THE RIGOR OF STUDENT WORK. THIS INITIATIVE WAS IN ITS FINAL YEAR OF FUNDING SUPPORT BY THE BARR FOUNDATION.THE BARR FUNDING WAS ALSO SUPPLEMENTING THE SCHOOL'S ACCESS TO A CONSULTING COORDINATOR COURTNEY JACOBS WHO SHEPARADED THE LAUNCH OF PROFICIENCY BASED GRADING, THE PARTICIPATION OF 100 STUDENTS IN A BLACKSTONE FOCUSED LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AND A WELL-ATTENDED SERIES OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM MEETINGS THAT PROVIDED A DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES AND IDEAS FOR OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. A GRANT FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ALLOWED US TO CONTINUE SUPPORT OF A MATH COACH AND A FIVE-YEAR LITERACY IMPROVEMENT GRANT WAS WON FOR THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR. THESE PIECES OF SUPPORT WERE CRUCIAL AT A TIME WHEN GENEROUS COVID-ERA ESSA FUNDING WAS COMING TO AN END AND THE SCHOOL WAS HAVING TO DOWNSIZE SUPPLEMENTAL STAFF SUPPORT TO STUDENTS. THE SCHOOL ALSO CONTINUED TO IMPROVE OUR STUDENT'S INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY POST-COVID BY GETTING STUDENTS INTERESTED AND SKILLFUL IN SOLVING COMMUNITY PROBLEMS. THIS WAS DONE BOTH THROUGH COURSEWORK AND REQUIRED SOCIAL ACTION PROJECTS SUCH AS SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECTS JUNIOR YEAR AND SENIOR RESEARCH PAPERS AND SOCIAL ACTION PROJECTS SENIOR YEAR. DESPITE THIS BEING THE FIRST YEAR WHEN ALL OF THE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES REQUIRING STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION PRE-COVID, RETURNED TO THAT REQUIREDMENT, THE CLASS OF 2025 WERE ADMITTED TO A NUMBER OF HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COLLEGES INCLUDING YALE UNIVERSITY, FOR THE CLASS OF 2024 INCLUDED A NUMBER OF VERY COMPETITIVE COLLEGES INCLUDING BOSTON COLLEGE, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY, CLARK UNIVERSITY, , PROVIDENCE COLLEGE, AND YALE UNIVERSITY TO NAME A FEW. OVER 80% OF THE GRADUATING CLASS ATTENDED A TWO- OR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE IN THE FALL OF 2025. NEARLY ALL MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATING CLASS WERE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILY TO ATTEND COLLEGE SOME STUDENTS WILL ATTEND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF RI FOR TWO YEARS AS ALL STUDENTS IN RHODE ISLAND ARE NOW GIVEN FREE TUITION FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS THERE. MOST STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES DUE TO A COMBINATION OF MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS AND NEED-BASED AID. EIGHT STUDENTS COMPLETED A PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM WITH THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND GENERAL DYNAMICS WHICH ENABLED ALL OF THEM TO GO ON TO HIGH PAYING POSITIONS AT ELECTRIC BOAT. BLACKSTONE HAD THE 2ND HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS STATEWIDE COMPLETING THE PROGRAM. FINALLY, BLACKSTONE ACADEMY HAD THE THIRD HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF GRADUATING SENIORS IN THE STATE QUALIFY FOR A SEAL OF BILITERACY, ESTABLISHING THEIR PROFICIENCY IN BOTH ENGLISH AND ANOTHER LANGUAGE. BACS STUDENTS REPRESENTED THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN A SCHOOL TO EARN THIS CREDENTIAL.
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 October 13, 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 February 2003.
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 October 21, 2026.
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