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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Azalea City Montessori Cooperative

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 464993667
AL · NTEE B24
FY ending 2023-09-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Kathryn Luttinen, Executive Director / CEO ($30,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 130 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 23rd percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Kathryn Luttinen — reported title “Head of School”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

130 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 130 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,517 total compensation of comparable organizations → $154,676 $30,000
$20,50310th
$30,62525th
$41,292Median
$52,86875th
$70,79090th
$30,000This org · 23rd
p10$20,503
p25$30,625
p50$41,292
p75$52,868
p90$70,790
$30,000

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to AL cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Dalton Learning Academy Inc FL$439,244 President $80,250 $67,781 2024
Atx Kids Club TX$438,372 Executive Dir. $87,717 $78,889 2024
Evergreen Garden School WA$437,214 Director $55,725 $46,181 2023
Binyan Yisroel Inc MD$437,133 Executive Dir. $52,699 $45,605 2023
Brighton Academy OR$435,945 Chairman/pre $38,900 $32,479 2024
Cornerstone Christian Academy NJ$435,583 Director $37,392 $30,016 2024
The Academy For Children Inc NJ$434,561 President $100,008 $80,280 2024
The New School Of Syracuse NY$432,680 Director $51,500 $40,762 2025
Gainesville Georgia Homeschool GA$432,378 Frmr Mbr; Cr $1,800 $1,627 2024
Phoenix Academic Center Inc OK$432,153 Head Administrator $65,660 $65,004 2024
Fayette Street Educational Foundation NM$432,037 President $37,400 $37,235 2023
Realms Of Inquiry UT$448,232 Executive Di $54,021 $49,709 2024
Up Christian Academy Inc WI$429,619 Administrator $15,000 $14,085 2024
Heritage Christian School NH$428,738 Board Member/principal $30,000 $24,905 2024
Vardaman Street Christian Academy Inc MS$428,231 Secretary/treasurer $22,450 $21,901 2025
Brookeside Montessori PA$427,878 Head Of Scho $56,647 $49,481 2025
Secret Garden Montessori NJ$423,643 Head Of School $53,821 $43,204 2024
Mighty Oaks Enrichment Center KS$454,779 President $25,000 $24,283 2024
Highlands Latin School Inc FL$423,358 President $33,333 $28,985 2023
Belle Creek Education Center CO$421,210 Executive Director $47,077 $40,585 2024
Fhl Academy Inc MN$457,508 President $32,048 $28,472 2024
The Masters Study Inc IN$457,523 Director $1,600 $1,517 2024
Wild Fern Montessori School VA$459,360 Head Of School $48,499 $42,102 2024
The Open School CA$459,653 Chairman $47,321 $37,823 2023
Carter Christian Academy Inc KY$459,674 Teacher $33,417 $31,447 2025

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to AL cost of living and 2023 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to AL cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default23rd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)14th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted25th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted23rd

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Kathryn Luttinen) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 130 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $30,000 is reasonable (approximately the 23rd percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.