The Three Numbers.
Your last two years of 990s, your student retention percentage, and your faculty and staff retention percentage, with plain scoring for each. The third number is the one most schools skip, and it is the earliest tell.
The School Health Check
The School Health Check is the same fifteen-point diagnostic Paul Harrell runs on every school that calls him, built from fifty years in education and six turnarounds, and written so you can run it on your own school. Three checks: The Three Numbers, The Monthly Three, and The Three Roles. It takes about fifteen minutes, it is free, and it is honest enough to sting a little.
You get your score and the first thing to fix.
What it checks
What You Get
The Monthly Three.
Whether your leadership sees a detailed P&L, a cash forecast through year end, and a balance sheet every single month, plus the one rule that saves schools: never add a program and then go raise the money for it.
The Three Roles.
Your board scored against its three jobs: guard the mission, encourage and evaluate the head, own fiduciary responsibility. Everything else is meddling, and the check shows you where it is happening.
You finish with a score out of fifteen, what your band means, and three things to do with it on Monday.
The assessment
Fifteen minutes. Three checks. An honest picture of your school.
This is the same diagnostic I run, written so you can run it on your own school this week.
By Paul Harrell. Fifty years in education, twenty in Christian schools.
Your Score
0out of fifteen
Add it up. Fifteen points possible.
Your score is above. The next step is a conversation about what it means.
Your answers
What To Do With Your Score
Whatever you scored, you now know more about your school than most boards do. Do three things with it.
First, share it. Put the score and your three numbers in front of your head and your board chair together. No blame. Money problems do not cause your problems; they reveal them.
Second, fix in order. Trust and leadership first, money second, promotion last. Every zero on this check points at the first category, whatever it looks like on the surface.
Third, if you want a second set of eyes, ask. The first call is a conversation, not a pitch. Bring your score and your three numbers, and I will tell you honestly what I see, including if what I see is a school that does not need me.
True North Christian Advisors. Fair, knowledgeable, honest. Underpromise and overdeliver.
Who It Is For
Heads of school who feel something drifting and want to know what before the budget tells them. Board chairs who want an honest read on their school without hiring anyone. And anyone sitting down to write a strategic plan, because a plan built on the wrong diagnosis fixes the wrong thing.
Paul wrote it after fifty years in education and six school turnarounds. Be honest with your answers. The school that scores itself kindly is the school that calls him two years later in worse shape.
Rather talk it through? Request a Conversation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the School Health Check?
A fifteen-point self-assessment based on the diagnostic Paul Harrell runs on every school that calls him, written so you can run it on your own school. It has three checks, takes about fifteen minutes, and is free. You finish with a score out of fifteen, what your band means, and three things to do with it.
What does the School Health Check measure?
Three things. The Three Numbers: two years of 990s, student retention, and faculty and staff retention. The Monthly Three: whether leadership sees a detailed P&L, a cash forecast through year end, and a balance sheet every month. And The Three Roles: whether the board guards the mission, evaluates the head, and owns fiduciary responsibility.
How is the School Health Check scored?
Out of fifteen points. A score of 13 to 15 is healthy, 9 to 12 means watch closely, 5 to 8 means the numbers are talking, and 0 to 4 is death-spiral territory. Any zero points at where the real problem lives, and it is cheaper to fix a zero now than after it reaches the budget.
Who should take the School Health Check?
Heads of school who feel something drifting and want to know what before the budget tells them. Board chairs who want an honest read on their school without hiring anyone. And anyone sitting down to write a strategic plan, because a plan built on the wrong diagnosis fixes the wrong thing. Honest answers matter: scoring kindly helps no one.
What should I do with my School Health Check score?
Share it, fix in order, and ask for help if you want it. Put the score and your three numbers in front of your head and board chair together, with no blame. Fix trust and leadership first, money second, promotion last. If you want a second set of eyes, bring the score to a conversation with Paul.