Top executive pay at US private K-12 schools and charter networks, ranked
This list ranks 14 private K-12 schools and charter networks by what they paid their top executive, using each one's latest full-year IRS Form 990. Every row links to the return it comes from. This is a partial list: 76 of the 92 K-12 schools that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.
Last updated from IRS e-file data.
What counts as a K-12 school here
Private K-12 schools, nonprofit charter school networks and early learning programs. The row shows the person titled CEO, executive director, president or head of school; where nobody has one of those titles, it shows the highest-paid person. Each must report at least $100 million in total revenue (Part I, line 12) on its latest full-year return. 92 organizations meet the definition: 14 are ranked here, and 76 do not have pages on this site yet.
Each row is the return that reports the chief executive's pay, and the revenue shown is that return's own. Affiliates that list the same executive as the ranked return are left out so one person's pay is not listed twice.
Two more that meet the definition, The Foundation (Ad Astra School, Austin) and American Leadership Academy, aren't ranked because their latest returns report no pay for anyone listed.
The ranking
The chief executive on each organization's latest full-year return, or the highest-paid person where no title marks one. Each row is a different return, so each links to its own filing.
The percentile compares each row's pay / revenue with organizations of similar revenue across this site, not only this list, because the site has fewer than 20 K-12 schools. Rows in different revenue bands are compared with different groups, so similar shares can show different percentiles.
| Rank | Organization and CEO | Total pay | Year ending | Revenue | Pay / revenue | Share percentile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Horace Mann SchoolThomas M KellyCEO Head of School | $2,244,259 | Jun 2025 | $146,409,893 | 1.53% | 95% | Filing |
| 2 |  Kamehameha SchoolsL Jack WongCEO CEO | $1,721,931 | Jun 2025 | $927,455,971 | 0.19% | 63% | Filing |
| 3 |  Hotchkiss SchoolCraig W BradleyCEO HEAD OF SCHOOL | $1,247,135 | Jun 2025 | $126,383,221 | 0.99% | 87% | Filing |
| 4 |  Harvard-Westlake SchoolRichard CommonsCEO PRESIDENT | $1,151,201 | Jun 2025 | $128,185,316 | 0.90% | 84% | Filing |
| 5 |  Ethical Culture Fieldston SchoolKyle Wilkie-GlassCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND HOS | $1,070,272 | Jun 2025 | $130,057,656 | 0.82% | 79% | Filing |
| 6 |  Milton Hershey SchoolPeter G GurtCEO PRESIDENT | $978,736 | Jul 2025 | $1,262,623,043 | 0.08% | 18% | Filing |
| 7 |  ʻIolani SchoolTimothy R CottrellCEO HEAD OF SCHOOL, EX OFFICIO (THRU 6/30/25, filed with the name) | $960,776 | Jun 2025 | $110,832,276 | 0.87% | 81% | Filing |
| 8 |  Pine Crest SchoolDana MarkhamCEO PRESIDENT | $950,292 | Jun 2025 | $141,444,725 | 0.67% | 68% | Filing |
| 9 |  Lakeside SchoolKai BynumCEO HEAD OF SCHOOL | $896,284 | Jun 2025 | $125,339,252 | 0.72% | 73% | Filing |
| 10 |  Riverdale Country SchoolKarena Marta OstremCEO HEAD OF SCHOOL | $848,422 | Jun 2025 | $103,715,166 | 0.82% | 78% | Filing |
| 11 |  KIPP Texas Public SchoolsSehba Z AliCEO Chief Executive Officer | $615,123 | Jun 2025 | $479,416,832 | 0.13% | 7% | Filing |
| 12 |  IDEA Public SchoolsJeffrey CottrillCEO Superintendent & CEO | $401,654 | Jun 2025 | $1,186,267,518 | 0.03% | 3% | Filing |
| 13 |  Harmony Public SchoolsFatih AyCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $280,759 | Jun 2025 | $609,931,274 | 0.05% | 5% | Filing |
| 14 |  Somerset AcademyBernardo MonteroCEO PRESIDENT | $245,726 | Jun 2025 | $429,843,272 | 0.06% | 1% | Filing |
More rankings: Highest-paid nonprofit CEOs, CEO pay at major US nonprofits, CEO pay at nonprofit hospital systems, University president pay, all 17 rankings, or search every organization.
About the data
Every figure comes from a Form 990 e-file return the organization submitted to the IRS, which the IRS publishes as open data. Each row uses one return and links to it. We don't estimate, round or combine years; column F is the organization's own estimate of other compensation.
- Which return
- The most recent return that covers a full year. Short-year returns, filed when an organization changes its fiscal year, cover only a few months and are not used as the latest year. Where a return was amended, the amended version is used.
- What “total” means
- Part VII columns D, E and F added together: reportable pay from the organization, reportable pay from related organizations, and estimated other compensation. We add them up; each organization's page shows the three amounts separately.
- Timing
- Returns are due up to 10½ months after the fiscal year ends and appear in IRS data anywhere from about 4 to 18 months after the year ends, so the latest year here is often a year or more old.
- Who counts as CEO
- The person whose filed title names them chief executive (CEO, chief executive officer or executive director), or, where no one has one of those titles, a plain "President" or head of school. At a university it is the president or chancellor. If no one has any of these titles, we show the highest-paid person and say so. Totals and percentages labeled as calculated are our arithmetic on figures from one filing.
The full rules are on the methodology page. To report an error or ask for a review, email corrections@ceopaycheck.com.
Common questions
Of the 14 ranked so far, the top total is $2,244,259 for Thomas M Kelly, head of school of Horace Mann School, on its return for the fiscal year ending June 2025. Next is L Jack Wong of Kamehameha Schools at $1,721,931. Totals are Part VII columns D, E and F added together, so they include pay from related organizations and the organization's estimate of other compensation, such as retirement contributions. This is a partial list: 76 more that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.
Across these 14 the median is $955,534 (our calculation). 5 reported $1,000,000 or more for their top executive or top-paid person, and 11 reported $500,000 or more. The median share is 0.69% of the ranked return's revenue, our calculation from the same return.
The list covers organizations whose latest full-year Form 990 reports at least $100 million in total revenue, one row per organization. Affiliates that list the same executive as another return are left out so one person's pay is not counted twice. 76 more that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.