Hope Christian Schools 
The information on this page was last updated 3/6/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
HOPE Christian Schools are driven by the love of Christ, building learning communities that inspire, equip, and support Serving Leaders to transform the world.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Hope Christian Schools
2530 W. North Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53205
Website: https://www.hopeschools.org/
Phone: (414) 377-0430
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 392014547
CEO/President: Edie Martwick
Chairman: Andrew Neumann
Board size: 3
Founder: James Rahn
Ruling year: 2012
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
HOPE is dedicated to developing a network of schools that provide a Christian education that is genuinely transformational for our students. We are tireless in our commitment to establishing a distinctive identity as one of America's finest college-preparatory institutions, developing students who are academic standouts and active community servants.
Mission statement
HOPE Christian Schools exist to provide a high-quality, Christian education in a safe, supportive environment where teaching and learning are exciting and students graduate well prepared to become inspirations to their families, leaders in their communities and successes in their workplace.
Statement of faith
Children at HOPE Christian Schools will be introduced to the unconditional love of Jesus and His work as their Savior.
It is our desire that we, along with the students we serve, will together grow in our faith, become strong in spirit and character, mature in our knowledge of Christ as our Lord and Savior, and live out our faith in our academic, personal, and everyday lives in ways that honor and please God. Our goal is that the work of our staff and students is produced by faith, their labor prompted by love, and their endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Therefore, the following core beliefs are set forth as the basic guiding Christian principles of our schools:
We believe all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
We believe that Scripture reveals that we are the children of God (1 John 3:1) because Jesus died on the cross for us (1 John 4:10). As children of God we are created and redeemed to do good work (Ephesians 2:8-10) and are called to perform accordingly by loving God and loving our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
TRIUNE GOD
1. We believe there is one living and true God, existing in three co-equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, Luke 3:22). God creates, upholds, and governs all.
2. We believe in God the Father, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in the earth (Genesis 1:1); that He is passionate about His relationship with His people (Exodus 34:14); that He hears and always answers prayer; that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him in faith through Jesus, His Son.
3. We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings, His death on our behalf - which pays for our sins, His bodily resurrection (John 11:25) and ascension into heaven (Mark 16:19), and His visible return to earth on the final Day of Judgment (Matthew 25:31-32; I Corinthians 15:20-25).
4. We believe the Holy Spirit dwells within our hearts (Romans 8:25; 1 Corinthians 6:19) and produces in us the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
WORD OF GOD
5. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are God's words, fully inspired, without mistake in the original manuscripts, and the inerrant rule of faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
PEOPLE OF GOD
6. We believe all Christians are forgiven of their sins (Matthew 26:28; Mark 2:5) and considered to be holy by God (Romans 1:7). These Christians form the universal Church, a living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all born again persons are members (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). The members of this body are called to serve God through serving others (John 13:1-17). We believe that whoever wishes to become great among people should be a servant of people (Matthew 20:26) and that we should model our lives after the life of Christ, in that the Son of God did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28).
7. We believe that all people are sinners and are under attack from Satan, the "world", and even their own flesh (Revelation 12:17). All humankind is deserving of condemnation, but by His mercy God calls, gathers and enlightens us. Therefore, the repentant are justified (made right with God) by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and only by God's grace and through faith alone are we saved (John 3:16-19; John 5:24; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23-25; Romans 5:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10).
8. We believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting (John 3:16; 2:25: 5:11-13). We believe that those who have faith in Jesus Christ will rise with glorified bodies to everlasting life in heaven (Philippians 3:2; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52) and those who do not have faith in Christ will rise to eternal death in hell (John 5:28-29; Matthew 10:28; 25:46).
9. We believe the maturing Christian daily reads, meditates, and reflects on God's Word (Psalm 1:2; John 5:39; Acts 17:11; Romans 15:4), communicates with God in prayer (Matthew 6:6; James 5:16b), worships God regularly with other Christians (Luke 4:8; John 4:24; Romans 12:1), and shares the reason for his/her hope with others in love and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
Articles
| 3/27/2026 | Four Ministries Rise to Highest Donor Confidence Scores |
Donor confidence score
Show donor confidence score details
To understand our donor confidence score, click here.
Transparency grade
D
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: K-12 Schools/Academies
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 68 of 1435 | 6 of 191 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 155 of 1435 | 46 of 191 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 298 of 1435 | 38 of 191 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 121 of 1436 | 8 of 191 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $2,757,367 in government grants in 2025.
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 11% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 13% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 13% | 11% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 87% | 87% | 88% | 88% | 87% | 89% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 83% | 88% | 91% | 96% | 88% | 88% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 93% | 101% | 106% | 96% | 93% | 88% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 76% | 89% | 96% | 92% | 82% | 77% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 7% | -1% | -6% | 4% | 7% | 12% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 6% | -5% | -24% | 12% | 29% | 65% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 12% | 9% | 4% | 12% | 12% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.54 | 3.45 | 3.59 | 2.73 | 2.76 | 3.27 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.99 | 1.15 | 1.16 | 1.12 | 1.12 | 1.19 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.80 | 3.97 | 4.17 | 3.06 | 3.10 | 3.89 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 2.80 | 6.99 | 19.98 | 17.01 | 9.32 | 9.42 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.35 | 0.14 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 3.98 | 2.59 | 2.74 | 3.69 | 3.46 | 2.76 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 29% | 22% | 18% | 12% | 25% | 31% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 117% | 23% | 23% | 32% | 27% | 21% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $7,570,144 | $7,507,307 | $8,763,899 | $9,166,732 | $4,583,340 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $135,993 | $77,735 | $356,427 | $204,581 | $2,283,453 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $7,706,137 | $7,585,042 | $9,120,326 | $9,371,313 | $6,866,793 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $922,029 | $1,055,660 | $1,023,310 | $1,140,667 | $1,289,603 |
| Other long-term assets | $228,870 | $175,419 | $109,366 | $27,590 | $12,931 |
| Total long-term assets | $1,150,899 | $1,231,079 | $1,132,676 | $1,168,257 | $1,302,534 |
| Total assets | $8,857,036 | $8,816,121 | $10,253,002 | $10,539,570 | $8,169,327 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $1,026,959 | $377,687 | $523,530 | $1,005,169 | $728,612 |
| Other current liabilities | $75,000 | $1,978 | $12,536 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,101,959 | $379,665 | $536,066 | $1,005,169 | $728,612 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $806,034 | $1,173,410 | $721,742 | $1,596,097 | $1,791,257 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $806,034 | $1,173,410 | $721,742 | $1,596,097 | $1,791,257 |
| Total liabilities | $1,907,993 | $1,553,075 | $1,257,808 | $2,601,266 | $2,519,869 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $6,876,786 | $7,164,564 | $8,719,106 | $7,328,344 | $5,390,131 |
| With donor restrictions | $72,257 | $98,482 | $276,088 | $609,960 | $259,327 |
| Net assets | $6,949,043 | $7,263,046 | $8,995,194 | $7,938,304 | $5,649,458 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $3,857,684 | $3,532,427 | $3,346,626 | $4,040,226 | $3,329,466 |
| Program service revenue | $26,073,231 | $26,001,150 | $25,377,199 | $27,196,056 | $26,900,130 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $222,224 | $315,637 | $144,133 | $37,363 | $44,943 |
| Other revenue | $99,483 | $24,894 | $141,880 | $71,696 | $128,836 |
| Total other revenue | $26,394,938 | $26,341,681 | $25,663,212 | $27,305,115 | $27,073,909 |
| Total revenue | $30,252,622 | $29,874,108 | $29,009,838 | $31,345,341 | $30,403,375 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $26,952,148 | $28,634,629 | $26,719,389 | $25,564,010 | $23,422,062 |
| Management and general | $3,614,477 | $2,970,091 | $1,232,609 | $3,492,485 | $3,300,859 |
| Fundraising | $0 | $1,536 | $950 | $0 | $0 |
| Total expenses | $30,566,625 | $31,606,256 | $27,952,948 | $29,056,495 | $26,722,921 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($314,003) | ($1,732,148) | $1,056,890 | $2,288,846 | $3,680,454 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($314,003) | ($1,732,148) | $1,056,890 | $2,288,846 | $3,680,454 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Andrew Neumann | CEO | $449,952 |
| Daniel Depies | COO | $308,717 |
| Jeremy Ehlers | CFO | $250,125 |
| Edith Martwick | Regional Executive Director Wi | $161,536 |
| Casandra Delgado | Regional Director of Teaching and Learning | $145,515 |
| Ashley Boyte | Principal | $134,857 |
| Anna Mayo | Principal | $128,799 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/6/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
James Rahn is one of several founding visionaries. In the fall of 1999, James was walking through an urban neighborhood where the local faith-based school had been closed down because, as he had been told, there were "not enough children here to have a school." As he walked the streets, James recalls having to dodge strollers and children running about. As he approached the school building closed by the local church, he saw lights on and people milling around inside.
He saw students, teachers, and what looked like a school day in session. He stepped inside to learn what was happening in this school he thought had been closed. He found out that a nearby charter school had run out of room for its rapidly expanding school because there were "so many children to serve in this neighborhood." This charter school was renting the space that had been vacated by the church.
This all took place right after the Wisconsin Supreme Court had passed a ruling allowing low-income children in Milwaukee to utilize a state voucher to pay for their tuition to attend any school of their choice, including faith-based schools. James' mind immediately began to race. He began wondering how people of faith could do more to serve urban children by providing them with excellent educational opportunities.
Quickly and with a sense of urgency, James and a growing group of Christians began working on a new vision: To create a network of schools that offered rigorous academics, character formation, and faith formation accessible to the families qualifying for vouchers. Milwaukee would be the starting point for a model that could be replicated in other locations across the country.
This was the beginning of the journey for HOPE Christian Schools. While we have been blessed with incredible serving leaders with extraordinary talent, vision, and the hearts of tireless soldiers for this cause, the story of HOPE is really the story of God working through His people to maximize the potential in His children for Greater Purpose. It's the story of unlocking potential in God's children and inspiring a sense of purpose that brings lasting change to lives, families, and communities. It's the story of Christians simply doing what God has called us to do: love one another, serve one another, and do it all with excellence befitting Christ, whose name we bear.
Today, HOPE Christian Schools is a network of private Christian college-preparatory schools serving nearly 3,500 scholars in Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin. The five HOPE schools in Milwaukee participate in the Milwaukee Parental School Choice Program. Our school in Racine is part of the Racine Parental Choice Program. Nearly 100 percent of our scholars qualify for free or reduced lunch and live in some of the most impoverished areas of these two urban centers. Despite the statistical odds being stacked against them, our scholars are proving what is possible. Our elementary scholars demonstrate strong academic results and grow faster than their peers, as demonstrated on the Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP), a nationally normed growth assessment.
All of this began with the passion, energy, and inspiration of HOPE's founders, who had hearts for service and a love for children whom they saw not as statistics but rather as God's own children, created on purpose and for a great purpose. None of this could have happened, or indeed can continue, without God's ongoing grace and blessing at every step along the journey. As we look back on over two decades of the growth and development of HOPE Christian Schools, it is clear that God put the talented people, the courageous leaders, and groundbreaking public policies in place at key moments in time to bring HOPE to life, sustain it and grow it.