Bridges Preparatory Academy
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO OFFER AN INCLUSIVE, RIGOROUS, COLLEGE-READY, AND TRAUMA-SENSITIVE EDUCATION THAT WILL PROVIDE ALL STUDENTS WITH AN ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLSET TO EXCEL IN HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND.
- Income
- $3.3 million
- Spending
- $3.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 4.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 100%
- Employees
- 31
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $216,645, executive director
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: 75 out of 100. Higher than 58% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.2 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 33% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 9% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 20% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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: 95 out of 100. Higher than 69% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
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)
- $2.3 million spent. BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY IS A NEWLY ESTABLISHED CHARTER SCHOOL THAT OPENED ITS DOORS TO THE COMMUNITY OF COMPTON IN FALL 2021, OFFERING A RIGOROUS COLLEGE PREPARATORY EDUCATION PROGRAM. BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY SERVED 151 STUDENTS IN GRADES 6-8 AND REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE WITH APPROXIMATELY 78% HISPANIC, 22% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 14% STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, 25% ENGLISH LEARNERS, AND 89% SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY'S UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO SERVE THE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL, AND BEHAVIORAL NEEDS THROUGH A TRAUMA SENSITIVE APPROACH UTILIZING POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS (PBIS), WAY OF COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE TO SUPPORT CHILDHOOD TRAUMA THE ADOLESCENTS OF COMPTON HAVE FACED. OUR EDUCATIONAL MODEL EQUIPS ALL STUDENTS WITH A RIGOROUS, STANDARD ALIGNED COLLEGE PREPARATORY CURRICULUM, WHILE INTEGRATING SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) TO ADDRESS THE ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES) THEY HAVE FACED. BPA IMPLEMENTS A "WHOLE CHILD APPROACH" TO EDUCATION. BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY IS AN INNOVATIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON ACADEMICS, CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP ACROSS ALL STUDENT GROUPS WITH A DOUBLE-BLOCK ELA/MATH, AND DAILY LEARNING LAB, AND A DAILY ADVISORY PROGRAM THAT STARTS THE DAY WITH SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, EMBEDDED IN DAILY INSTRUCTION & ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES. BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY WAS RECENTLY AWARDED THE MTSS SUMS PHASE 3 GRANT WHICH PROVIDES THE ENTIRE STAFF WITH COMPREHENSIVE MTSS TRAINING AND COACHING. BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY'S EDUCATIONAL MODEL AND PROGRAM IS BUILT ON THE MTSS FRAMEWORK. THE STAFF AT BRIDGES PREPARATORY PROVIDED ALL STUDENTS WITH A WARM, NURTURING, WELCOMING, AND SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT COUPLED WITH OUR SEL PROGRAM INCLUDING ONSITE COUNSELING SERVICES WHICH ADDRESSED STUDENT SEL NEEDS, THEREBY CREATING A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE. BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY IMPLEMENTED PBIS COMBINED WITH RESTORATIVE PRACTICES THAT INCLUDED STUDENT VOICE, AS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT, THROUGH STUDENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, AND STUDENT AMBASSADORS. THESE TWO STUDENT GROUPS MEET ON A BI-MONTHLY BASIS TO DISCUSS SCHOOLWIDE ACTIVITIES AND INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE THE "CHARACTER TRAIT OF THE MONTH, AND DESIGN ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE ACTS OF KINDNESS AND A GROWTH MINDSET WITH ACADEMIC LEARNING AND SELF-AWARENESS. WE START EACH MORNING WITH A SEL STUDENT CHECK-IN FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES, ASKING STUDENTS "HOW ARE YOU FEELING?" WHEN WE IDENTIFIED BULLYING AT THE SCHOOL, WE SHIFTED THE MINDSET AND PERSPECTIVE OF "SNITCHING" TO THE PERSPECTIVE THAT IF A STUDENT REPORTS IT TO AN ADULT AT THE SCHOOL, THEY ARE ACTUALLY HELPING THE STUDENT WHO IS BULLYING. THROUGH OUR SEL LESSONS WE FOCUSED ON ROOT CAUSES OF BULLYING, AND EXPLAINED IT WAS A SIGN THAT THE STUDENT NEEDED HELP. BOTH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND COUNSELOR PROVIDE COUNSELING SESSIONS. WE ALSO ANALYZED ATTENDANCE DATA AND IDENTIFIED COMMON THEMES, INCLUDING FRIDAYS HAD THE LOWEST ATTENDANCE RATE. TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, WE ADDED AFTER-SCHOOL CLUBS ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON THAT WERE OF HIGH INTEREST TO OUR STUDENTS, THIS RESULTED IN HIGH ATTENDANCE RATES ON FRIDAYS. WHEN A STUDENT IS ABSENT, OUR STAFF CONTACTS THE FAMILY TO ASK "IS YOUR CHILD OK? WE WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE HE/SHE WAS NOT IN SCHOOL TODAY. WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?" THIS APPROACH RESULTED IN FAMILIES BEING HONEST AND CREATED COMMUNITY. OVERALL, BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY HAS BEEN SEEN AS THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TO ATTEND IN COMPTON. TWENTY PERCENT OF OUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT ARE FROM STUDENTS THAT LIVE IN COMPTON BUT HAVE LEFT THE DISTRICT SCHOOLS AND RETURNED. WE ARE ALSO PROUD TO SAY THAT EIGHTY PERCENT OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE GROWN ONE GRADE LEVEL OR HIGHER SINCE BEING WITH BRIDGES PREPARATORY ACADEMY. FINALLY, WE HAD A NINETY-FIVE PERCENT AVERAGE ATTENDANCE RATE IN OUR FIRST ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR.
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 December 2021.
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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