Durango Education Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF DURANGO EDUCATION CENTER, AS A CARING LEARNING COMMUNITY, IS TO FILL EDUCATIONAL GAPS BY PROVIDING THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY FOR LIVABLE WAGE CAREERS, POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION, AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY.
- Income
- $836,778
- Spending
- $849,438
- Spent on programs
- 77%
- Reserves
- 22.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 69%
- Employees
- 34
- Volunteers
- 47
- Highest pay
- $74,546, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 88 out of 100. Higher than 69% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 22.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 11% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1577% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 66% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 7 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no 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
0 of 5Reports that it does not keep 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 December 31, 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)
- $654,744 spent. DAEC is the only Adult Education Center serving the five-county region comprising the Four Corners region of Colorado. DAECs main programs are English as a Second Language (ESL) and High School Equivalency programs (GED). Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, DAEC is a highly effective program offering in-person classes to students ages 17+ who, for many reasons, were not able to complete the "expected" path through school or find themselves in a country where they do not have the language or literacy skills to participate fully in social or economic offerings. In 2025, DAEC served 251 learners, with 232 active learners. 124 students worked toward their high school equivalency, and 32 students completed their GED. 108 students from 22 countries, speaking 10 different home languages and representing 5 continents, studied English. DAEC is the GED provider at the LPC Jail, serving 41 additional students there in 2025, with four (4) graduates in 2025. DAEC offers career counseling to all Students, past and present, including job-readiness and skill-building Opportunities. DAEC serves as an official Pearson Vue testing site, allowing many professional proctored exams to be taken in Durango instead of traveling to Denver or Albuquerque, proctoring 395 tests in 2025.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1998.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.