Norfolk Christian Schools 
The information on this page was last updated 5/1/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Norfolk Christian is an international leader among Christian schools, known for exceptional college prep and an unwavering Christ-centered worldview.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Norfolk Christian Schools
255 Thole Street
Norfolk, VA 23505
Website: norfolkchristian.org
Phone: 757.423.5770
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 540573503
CEO/President: Alex Gispert
Chairman: Frank Allgood
Board size: 15
Founder: Rev. John Dunlap
Ruling year: 1980
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Norfolk Christian Schools partners with Christian families and faculty:
- To provide the educational foundation for lifelong learners through college-preparatory academics taught with a Biblical worldview.
- To foster students' personal development, beyond the classroom, with excellence in fine arts, athletics, and community service.
- To develop ambassadors with character, confidence, and personal responsibility to be representatives of Christ in the world.
Mission statement
It is the mission of Norfolk Christian Schools to equip students spiritually, intellectually and physically to love God and to serve Him as Christ's Ambassadors in the world.
Statement of faith
There is one God eternally existing in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Scriptures are verbally inspired by God and are our only infallible rule of faith and practice. Jesus Christ died, shedding his blood for our sins, and was bodily raised from the dead for our justification. He will return visibly and bodily with power and great glory. Man is by nature and practice a sinner separated from God and can become God's child only by faith in Jesus Christ and submission to the will of God as revealed in the gospel. Those who are thus born into God's family have eternal life, and those who are not remain in spiritual death and will be separated from God forever in hell. The Holy Spirit lives in the believer and enables him to walk in purity of life and submission to the will of God. All believers are united in the body of Christ.
Articles
| 5/15/2026 | All God's Children Reinstated to ECFA |
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 | | 292 of 1420 | 25 of 183 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 1084 of 1420 | 144 of 183 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 222 of 1420 | 29 of 183 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 133 of 1421 | 10 of 183 |
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 | 10% | 27% | 17% | 8% | 13% | 10% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 13% | 11% | 14% | 28% | 19% | 26% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 87% | 89% | 86% | 72% | 81% | 74% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 83% | 89% | 89% | 87% | 87% | 93% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 93% | 105% | 102% | 85% | 97% | 88% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 75% | 93% | 91% | 74% | 85% | 82% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 7% | -5% | -2% | 15% | 3% | 12% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 7% | -12% | -4% | 33% | 7% | 33% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 9% | 8% | 11% | 10% | 4% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.53 | 1.69 | 1.51 | 1.26 | 1.80 | 1.80 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 3.06 | 2.86 | 2.73 | 2.05 | 2.48 | 2.22 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.80 | 4.85 | 4.13 | 2.58 | 4.48 | 3.99 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 2.80 | 1.94 | 2.26 | 3.71 | 1.52 | 2.04 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.35 | 0.52 | 0.44 | 0.27 | 0.66 | 0.49 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 3.98 | 1.20 | 1.62 | 3.40 | 0.92 | 1.53 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 29% | 33% | 31% | 36% | 33% | 25% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 10% | 10% | 17% | 4% | 2% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 118% | 40% | 46% | 51% | 37% | 42% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $285,454 | $710,516 | $676,504 | $323,044 | $459,367 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $1,216,380 | $1,265,598 | $2,873,273 | $1,280,724 | $1,236,459 |
| Short-term investments | $1,259,260 | $1,123,918 | $992,619 | $815,668 | $637,108 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $2,761,094 | $3,100,032 | $4,542,396 | $2,419,436 | $2,332,934 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $2,228,148 | $2,238,881 | $1,918,516 | $1,328,764 | $980,974 |
| Other long-term assets | $2,920,646 | $3,139,423 | $2,835,826 | $2,263,999 | $1,869,921 |
| Total long-term assets | $5,148,794 | $5,378,304 | $4,754,342 | $3,592,763 | $2,850,895 |
| Total assets | $7,909,888 | $8,478,336 | $9,296,738 | $6,012,199 | $5,183,829 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $676,301 | $693,169 | $868,801 | $1,049,097 | $437,438 |
| Other current liabilities | $745,778 | $677,367 | $354,334 | $541,844 | $707,054 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,422,079 | $1,370,536 | $1,223,135 | $1,590,941 | $1,144,492 |
| Debt | $760,023 | $878,466 | $1,570,354 | $231,697 | $114,926 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $398,446 | $396,046 | $539,345 | $170,549 | $50,945 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $1,158,469 | $1,274,512 | $2,109,699 | $402,246 | $165,871 |
| Total liabilities | $2,580,548 | $2,645,048 | $3,332,834 | $1,993,187 | $1,310,363 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $3,691,426 | $4,265,478 | $4,510,668 | $2,719,095 | $2,587,432 |
| With donor restrictions | $1,637,914 | $1,567,810 | $1,453,236 | $1,299,917 | $1,286,034 |
| Net assets | $5,329,340 | $5,833,288 | $5,963,904 | $4,019,012 | $3,873,466 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $1,451,974 | $1,826,736 | $3,886,085 | $2,081,156 | $2,753,472 |
| Program service revenue | $11,284,341 | $10,737,245 | $9,752,340 | $9,019,291 | $7,840,158 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $38,339 | $42,194 | $49,394 | $39,245 | $15,230 |
| Other revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total other revenue | $11,322,680 | $10,779,439 | $9,801,734 | $9,058,536 | $7,855,388 |
| Total revenue | $12,774,654 | $12,606,175 | $13,687,819 | $11,139,692 | $10,608,860 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $11,864,763 | $11,411,359 | $10,138,434 | $9,462,628 | $8,704,582 |
| Management and general | $1,143,596 | $1,082,526 | $1,250,923 | $1,101,049 | $344,327 |
| Fundraising | $385,617 | $316,553 | $310,820 | $276,241 | $264,371 |
| Total expenses | $13,393,976 | $12,810,438 | $11,700,177 | $10,839,918 | $9,313,280 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($619,322) | ($204,263) | $1,987,642 | $299,774 | $1,295,580 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($619,322) | ($204,263) | $1,987,642 | $299,774 | $1,295,580 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Alex Gispert | Head of School | $192,890 |
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 5/1/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Norfolk Christian was founded in 1952 by the Reverend John Dunlap, pastor of Tabernacle Church of Norfolk, to offer families a place where children would receive an impeccable education that brought the truth of Scripture into every class and mirrored the biblical foundation they received from home and church. At the time, only five Christian schools existed throughout Virginia. Gene Garrick was the original superintendent and worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Dr. Dunlap to create the thriving school Norfolk Christian would become. Their focus was on academic excellence, spiritual formation and Christian service to others, with a heavy emphasis on reaching the ends of the earth for Christ.
Starting as a K-5 Grammar School, NCS grew to encompass all grade levels in two buildings on Thole Street by 1959, and saw its first Class of 10 graduates receive diplomas in June of 1963. In 1982, a small K-3 campus was added in the Hilltop area of Virginia Beach which continues to serve students in PK3 - 5th grade today as our Virginia Beach Lower School.
While Norfolk Christian has added many facilities and programs in the last 69 years, Dr. Dunlap's vision of a school that taught every subject with a biblical worldview and partnered with Christian parents to raise up Ambassadors for Christ still guides everything we do.