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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Brighton Academy

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 931048971
OR · NTEE B24Z
FY ending 2024-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Mark Otto, Executive Director / CEO ($38,900) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 128 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 30th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Mark Otto — reported title “CHAIRMAN/PRE”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

128 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 128 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,817 total compensation of comparable organizations → $185,256 $38,900
$24,31110th
$35,98725th
$48,800Median
$62,36275th
$83,05190th
$38,900This org · 30th
p10$24,311
p25$35,987
p50$48,800
p75$62,362
p90$83,051
$38,900

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 OR 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
Cornerstone Christian Academy NJ$435,583 Director $37,392 $35,950 2024
Binyan Yisroel Inc MD$437,133 Executive Dir. $52,699 $54,621 2023
Evergreen Garden School WA$437,214 Director $55,725 $55,311 2023
The Academy For Children Inc NJ$434,561 President $100,008 $96,151 2024
Atx Kids Club TX$438,372 Executive Dir. $87,717 $94,485 2024
Azalea City Montessori Cooperative AL$439,120 Head Of School $30,000 $35,931 2023
The New School Of Syracuse NY$432,680 Director $51,500 $48,821 2025
Dalton Learning Academy Inc FL$439,244 President $80,250 $81,180 2024
Gainesville Georgia Homeschool GA$432,378 Frmr Mbr; Cr $1,800 $1,949 2024
Phoenix Academic Center Inc OK$432,153 Head Administrator $65,660 $77,855 2024
Fayette Street Educational Foundation NM$432,037 President $37,400 $44,596 2023
Up Christian Academy Inc WI$429,619 Administrator $15,000 $16,869 2024
Heritage Christian School NH$428,738 Board Member/principal $30,000 $29,829 2024
Vardaman Street Christian Academy Inc MS$428,231 Secretary/treasurer $22,450 $26,230 2025
Brookeside Montessori PA$427,878 Head Of Scho $56,647 $59,262 2025
Realms Of Inquiry UT$448,232 Executive Di $54,021 $59,537 2024
Secret Garden Montessori NJ$423,643 Head Of School $53,821 $51,745 2024
Highlands Latin School Inc FL$423,358 President $33,333 $34,716 2023
Belle Creek Education Center CO$421,210 Executive Director $47,077 $48,609 2024
Mighty Oaks Enrichment Center KS$454,779 President $25,000 $29,083 2024
Fhl Academy Inc MN$457,508 President $32,048 $34,100 2024
The Masters Study Inc IN$457,523 Director $1,600 $1,817 2024
Grassroots Free School System Inc FL$413,396 School Director $41,600 $42,082 2024
Wild Fern Montessori School VA$459,360 Head Of School $48,499 $50,425 2024
The Open School CA$459,653 Chairman $47,321 $45,301 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to OR 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 OR 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 default30th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)36th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted32nd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted30th

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 (Mark Otto) 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 128 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $38,900 is reasonable (approximately the 30th 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.