International School of Arizona
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE A PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AND ADVANCED MULTILINGUAL ACADEMICS IN A SAFE, DIVERSE, AND NURTURING ENVIRONMENT. OUR INNOVATIVE AND INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACH TO LEARNING PREPARES HIGHLY MOTIVATED STUDENTS FOR PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGE PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOLS. WE DEVELOP INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS OF THE LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNITY WHO ACTIVELY MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. WE CREATE SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS THAT ALLOW OUR STUDENTS TO HARNESS THE POWER OF LANGUAGES TO ENHANCE THEIR PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITIES, INCREASE COMMUNICATION ABILITIES AND SEE THE WORLD THROUGH THE EYES AND HEARTS OF OTHERS. WE FOSTER ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE WITH RIGOROUS LEARNING EXPECTATIONS, SUPPORTED BY OUR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITING AUTHORITIES AND GLOBAL EDUCATION PARTNERS.
- Income
- $8.2 million
- Spending
- $7.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- -10.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 92%
- Employees
- 108
- Volunteers
- 75
- Highest pay
- $235,630, 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: 47 out of 100. Higher than 24% 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
2 of 20It owes 83% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 12% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1577% 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
Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 16% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give 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
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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)
- $5.9 million spent. THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARIZONA OFFERS AN EXCELLENT FULL DAY IMMERSION EDUCATION IN EITHER FRENCH OR SPANISH, WHILE DELIVERING A WELL-ROUNDED, RIGOROUS, ACADEMIC PROGRAM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SCHOOL (FROM AGE 2 TO KINDERGARTEN), LOWER SCHOOL (GRADES 1 TO 5) AND MIDDLE SCHOOL (GRADES 6-8).STUDENTS FOLLOW A CHALLENGING GLOBAL CURRICULUM BASED ON THE BEST AMERICAN, FRENCH AND SPANISH STANDARDS, FORMULATED TO PROVIDE A STRONG EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, AND INCLUDING THE STREAM SCIENCE-BASED PROGRAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, READING, ENGINEERING, ARTS AND MATH). WITH TIES AND ACCREDITATIONS FROM THE FRENCH AND SPANISH MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION, ISA IS ABLE TO PROCURE HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS AND TOP-LEVEL, CERTIFIED TEACHING STAFF TO EXECUTE A STRONG FULL DAY LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAM. ITS INTERNATIONAL CURRICULUM INSTILLS A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURES AND LANGUAGE AROUND THE WORLD, OFFERING STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE. THE FULL DAY LANGUAGE IMMERSION FORMAT ALLOWS STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE NATIVE-LIKE FLUENCY IN A SECOND LANGUAGE, WHILE THEY LEARN SUBJECT CONTENT SIMULTANEOUSLY.
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 November 1998.
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.
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.