Riverside School, Inc.
Riverside School, Inc.
EIN: 54-0895408
as of November 2023
as of November 13, 2023
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Dyslexia and similar language-based learning differences affect 1 in 5 people. While a child with dyslexia may have normal or above-normal intelligence, and often a great desire to learn, their brain processes letters, words and characters differently. This makes it difficult to recognize certain letters and/or words, harder to comprehend and process written passages, and often challenging to read aloud or “sound out” a word or specific spelling.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Language Fundamentals
Riverside's Language Fundamentals (LF) Program is the keystone of our transformative approach to education. Our LF Program includes highly-specialized, one-on-one, multisensory instruction that is provided to every student as part of the curriculum. All students receive 45 minutes of one-on-one reading instruction 4 days a week. Students with dyslexia are bright kids who just learn differently. They need more help in sorting, recognizing, and organizing the raw materials of language. LF uses the Orton-Gillingham Approach, which capitalizes on students’ strengths to help remediate their weaknesses. Each teacher designs specialized teaching strategies for every child based on their abilities, and the program includes direct instruction in elements of language and reading, including phonemic awareness, syllable patterns, sound-symbol relationships, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Our highly skilled teachers receive extensive training in the Orton-Gillingham Approach.
Art and Music
Riverside’s Art and Music Programs are unique avenues for self-discovery and self-expression, and help students foster an increased understanding of the world around them. The program includes a studio art class led by an art therapist and the music discovery program. Students have the opportunity to manipulate materials and the environment in the studio, and symbolically explore, organize, and assimilate meaning from a complex world of ideas and experience. The music program introduces students to basic components of music such as rhythm and pitch, and includes instruction on instruments such a Orff instruments and percussion.
Classroom Instruction
“The best thing about Riverside is the class size. I pay attention
better here. It’s not so overwhelming.” – Current Riverside StudentOur students thrive in classrooms that offer multisensory instruction and hands-on learning, and our programs are designed to foster self-esteem and self-advocacy. Classes are kept intentionally small at Riverside, with an average of 11 students per classroom. This allows our teachers to provide direct, individualized instruction and allows our students to flourish in a nurturing environment. Every classroom at Riverside is equipped with SmartBoards and students have access to laptops, iPads, and educational applications designed to support cross-curricular instruction. In addition to core academic content such as math, social studies, and science, Riverside offers physical education, ballroom dance, expressive arts and music, service learning opportunities, and social skills.
Where we work
Accreditations
Virginia Association of Independent Schools 2018
Southern Association of Independent Schools 2018
External reviews

Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Riverside School's primary goal is to equip our students with the abilities and strategies they need to succeed. A secondary goal is to heighten awareness of dyslexia and the methods available to unlock the potential of dyslexic students.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
It’s important to remember that while dyslexia is neurobiological in origin, it has an educational solution. At Riverside School, we provide a style of teaching that meets the individual needs of students with language-based learning differences, encouraging them to achieve their highest academic potential.
Riverside also provides training and outreach programs. These programs and workshops are offered to students, parents, educators and the medical community and are designed to not only increase understanding of dyslexia, but also provide assistance to educators and parents who work with children who have language-based learning differences.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Riverside is the only Orton-Gillingham Academy-Accredited school to offer one-on-one language instruction to all students as part of its curriculum.
We offer a different way of teaching, specifically designed to meet the educational needs of students in grades K-8 with dyslexia and similar language-based differences. Our students benefit from small class sizes, individualized curriculum, physical education, ballroom dance, expressive arts, and classroom technology including SmartBoards and laptops for all students.
The scientifically validated Orton-Gillingham Approach is used in the classroom and in one-on-one Language Fundamentals Instruction provided to each student for 45 minutes a day, four days a week. Each teacher seeks to understand how an individual learns and devises an appropriate, individualized teaching strategy for the student.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our founding more than 45 years ago, Riverside School has transformed the lives of more than 1,000 at-risk children in Central Virginia, helping them to achieve literacy and become successful, productive members of society. Thanks to the leasing of additional classroom and recreational space in 2018, we have increased enrollment to our highest ever level. In the future, we aim to continue providing the gold-standard in dyslexic education as well as expand and enhance our teacher training and outreach programs.
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
1.48
Months of cash in 2022 info
9.6
Fringe rate in 2022 info
20%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Riverside School, Inc.
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
This snapshot of Riverside School, Inc.’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $73,261 | $213,621 | $267,508 | $587,586 | $96,316 |
As % of expenses | 3.3% | 8.5% | 10.1% | 19.6% | 2.9% |
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $6,635 | $143,152 | $191,956 | $504,851 | -$34,540 |
As % of expenses | 0.3% | 5.5% | 7.0% | 16.4% | -1.0% |
Revenue composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $2,301,916 | $2,879,521 | $2,925,676 | $3,621,198 | $5,329,696 |
Total revenue, % change over prior year | 14.7% | 25.1% | 1.6% | 23.8% | 47.2% |
Program services revenue | 85.9% | 81.6% | 86.6% | 72.3% | 56.9% |
Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Investment income | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10.2% | 0.0% |
All other grants and contributions | 13.7% | 17.9% | 12.7% | 16.5% | 42.2% |
Other revenue | 0.0% | -0.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
Expense composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses before depreciation | $2,234,517 | $2,525,306 | $2,661,473 | $2,995,391 | $3,269,453 |
Total expenses, % change over prior year | 13.3% | 13.0% | 5.4% | 12.5% | 9.1% |
Personnel | 78.4% | 76.9% | 76.7% | 70.0% | 68.6% |
Professional fees | 1.2% | 1.7% | 1.0% | 2.6% | 1.8% |
Occupancy | 1.1% | 8.4% | 8.6% | 10.1% | 14.6% |
Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Pass-through | 4.8% | 4.8% | 5.6% | 9.6% | 5.3% |
All other expenses | 14.4% | 8.2% | 8.0% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses (after depreciation) | $2,301,143 | $2,595,775 | $2,737,025 | $3,078,126 | $3,400,309 |
One month of savings | $186,210 | $210,442 | $221,789 | $249,616 | $272,454 |
Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,929,278 | $0 |
Total full costs (estimated) | $2,487,353 | $2,806,217 | $2,958,814 | $5,257,020 | $3,672,763 |
Capital structure indicators
Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Months of cash | 6.4 | 6.9 | 8.9 | 8.0 | 9.6 |
Months of cash and investments | 8.8 | 9.4 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 12.4 |
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.8 | -1.1 | 5.4 |
Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cash | $1,194,699 | $1,452,061 | $1,980,469 | $1,990,612 | $2,606,498 |
Investments | $435,872 | $528,492 | $569,367 | $750,214 | $784,517 |
Receivables | $47,355 | $34,806 | $38,623 | $79,795 | $1,257,843 |
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $2,695,405 | $2,718,927 | $2,769,226 | $4,698,382 | $4,791,956 |
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 41.6% | 43.8% | 45.7% | 28.7% | 30.9% |
Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 15.7% | 14.6% | 21.2% | 37.3% | 29.0% |
Unrestricted net assets | $2,236,327 | $2,379,479 | $2,571,435 | $3,076,286 | $3,041,746 |
Temporarily restricted net assets | $90,198 | $186,110 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Permanently restricted net assets | $425,014 | $495,028 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total restricted net assets | $515,212 | $681,138 | $684,269 | $830,758 | $2,644,948 |
Total net assets | $2,751,539 | $3,060,617 | $3,255,704 | $3,907,044 | $5,686,694 |
Key data checks
Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Head of School
Mr. Hal Waller
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Riverside School, Inc.
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Riverside School, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 07/03/2023
Board of directors data
Mr. Boyce Adams
Chambliss Properties
Term: 2023 - 2025
Jeff Allende
Daily Money Management
Anthony Troy
Community Volunteer
Jerry King
Bentley Systems
Boyce Adams
Chambliss Properties, Inc
Eliza Bullock
Capital One
Erika McMullen
Moxie Consulting Group
Nate Casey
Trilogy Mentors
Dick Fowlkes
Peter Blair Accessories
James Millhiser
Community Volunteer
Clay Reynolds
Community Volunteer
Teresa Downs
Altria
Michael Falcone
Stephen Gould
Sam Stone
Stone's Office Equipment
Scott Redmond
Redmond Asset Management