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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The Exceptional Way Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 843112477
GA · NTEE B28
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Paxton Youngblood, Executive Director / CEO ($59,908) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 83 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 57th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Paxton Youngblood — reported title “EXECUTIVE DI”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

83 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 83 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,489 total compensation of comparable organizations → $145,785 $59,908
$13,15110th
$28,85225th
$53,623Median
$71,77175th
$99,63890th
$59,908This org · 57th
p10$13,151
p25$28,852
p50$53,623
p75$71,771
p90$99,638
$59,908

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 GA 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
Hope Springs Christian Learning Center Inc GA$413,039 Ceo $39,930 $39,930 2024
Matthew 19 14 KS$432,166 Executive Director $44,871 $49,635 2023
No More Sidelines MI$408,828 Ceo $26,000 $26,690 2024
Spectrum Of Joy Inc AZ$407,281 President $10,854 $10,114 2025
Shenandoah Autism Center VA$436,300 Executive Di $69,357 $66,602 2024
The Social Engineering Project CA$405,321 Director $92,308 $79,273 2024
Roxbury Roots Montessori Inc MA$404,189 President & Ceo $70,705 $65,056 2023
Blazing Stars Montessori School Inc FL$403,928 Officer $57,876 $54,074 2024
Arizona Spellers Academy AZ$439,070 Ceo $13,846 $12,902 2025
Exceptional Education Outreach Inc FL$402,749 President & Ceo $26,606 $25,592 2023
Westerhoff School Of Music & Art Inc NJ$441,879 Director $133,086 $118,176 2024
Wisteria Montessori Inc MA$444,264 President $56,657 $50,635 2024
Clarke County Education Foundation Inc VA$397,863 Executive Dir. $40,040 $38,450 2024
Snowdrop Montessori School Inc MA$396,087 President $60,000 $53,623 2024
The Italian American Club Foundation MN$391,509 President $9,000 $8,845 2024
Huaxia Chinese School At Bergen Inc NJ$390,653 Principal $8,713 $7,737 2024
Alexsander Academy Inc GA$390,034 Executive Di $100,130 $100,130 2024
Dyslexia Tutoring Program MD$452,959 Ceo $156,791 $145,785 2024
The Green House Venture MO$454,036 Secretary $9,858 $10,384 2024
Mission Empower PA$386,847 Executive Dir. $33,877 $33,599 2024
River City Fellowship Christian School TX$457,335 Executive Director $36,000 $35,815 2024
Clover Montessori School PA$383,799 Board President, Founding Teacher Leader $67,000 $68,413 2023
New England School Of The Arts NH$459,113 Head Of Scho $50,000 $45,916 2024
New Castle Learning Advantage CO$382,113 Executive Di $14,834 $14,146 2024
Inspiring Minds ND$380,097 President $74,778 $81,614 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to GA cost of living and 2024 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 GA 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 default57th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)54th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted60th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted55th

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 (Paxton Youngblood) 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 83 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B28), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $59,908 is reasonable (approximately the 57th 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.