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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Mercy Christian Academy

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 863239207
LA · NTEE B24
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 13, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Jessica Elston, Executive Director / CEO ($32,296) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 62 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 53rd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Jessica Elston — reported title “BOARD MEMBER”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

62 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 62 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,008 total compensation of comparable organizations → $86,391 $32,296
$3,45110th
$13,33425th
$28,418Median
$42,36575th
$54,61190th
$32,296This org · 53rd
p10$3,451
p25$13,334
p50$28,418
p75$42,365
p90$54,611
$32,296

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 LA 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
Gaia Democratic School MN$205,347 Officer-key Employee $40,000 $34,864 2024
Life Point Christian University Inc AZ$205,771 President $50,400 $42,756 2024
Palmyra Christian Academy MO$206,020 Director $3,550 $3,415 2023
Faith Alive Christian Academy VI$201,389 Teacher $27,288 $27,288 2023
Mate School CO$208,359 Chairman/pre $68,333 $57,798 2024
Sunset Sudbury School Inc FL$211,841 President $85,000 $70,436 2024
Kardia Classical School WA$196,814 Head Of School $29,358 $22,588 2025
Albert Lea Wrestling Boosters MN$196,683 Trustee $33,900 $29,547 2024
Childrens Cottage CA$212,633 Executive Dir. $65,301 $48,458 2025
Grace Christian Academy NC$196,126 Teacher $26,667 $23,679 2025
Desert Springs Christian Academy NM$213,660 Headmaster 7 $21,524 $19,895 2025
Bnos Sarah Inc NJ$194,438 Trustee $6,000 $4,726 2024
Open Door Christian School PA$214,476 Teacher & Assistant Administrator $20,736 $18,241 2024
South Tulsa Academy Inc OK$214,734 Board Member $15,000 $14,194 2025
Hillside Academy Inc ID$215,043 President $4,899 $4,597 2024
The Morgan Oliver School For Anti-racism Inc GA$192,109 Ceo $14,583 $13,316 2023
Play School Inc FL$218,741 Executive Director $47,173 $39,091 2024
Emmanuel Coastal Academy Inc FL$221,404 President $2,050 $1,749 2023
Cornerstone Haiti FL$222,220 President $54,225 $46,262 2023
St Catherine Of Siena Academy NY$186,368 Chair & Trea $4,090 $3,260 2024
Shikabania Corporation CA$224,241 Director $4,809 $3,771 2023
Huaxia Chinese School At Bridgewate NJ$184,351 Principal $8,480 $6,679 2024
Ohr Zahava TX$179,842 Vice President $47,630 $43,269 2023
Bais Yaakov Bnos Chayil Inc NJ$229,282 Trustee $20,000 $15,751 2024
Rise Mhk Corporation KS$231,322 Dir. Of Educ $10,000 $9,530 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to LA 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 LA 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 default53rd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)50th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted42nd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted53rd

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 (Jessica Elston) 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 13, 2026, comparing compensation against 62 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $32,296 is reasonable (approximately the 53rd 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 13, 2026.