Local

Tacoma private school faced financial crisis. A private supporter stepped in

Stories by Tacoma News Tribune journalists, with AI summarization

Sound Christian Academy in Tacoma has been navigating financial turmoil, as highlighted in four recent articles. The school raised over $210,000 in a fundraising campaign, with most of the money going to payroll. Even after raising funds, the school announced it would close, citing years of poor stewardship and declining enrollment.

Then funding from a private supporter led school officials to announce that Sound Christian Academy will stay open, but will only serve Pre-K through 8th grade, dropping high school classes. Meanwhile, the school faces two pending lawsuits: one from a lender seeking loan repayment and another from a former board member who alleged the Internal Revenue Service came after him for taxes the school owed.

The entrance to Sound Christian Academy, a private Christian school in south Tacoma. The school posted on Facebook at Feb. 28 that it needed $210,000 to continue operations or risk shutting down mid-school year.

NO. 1: THIS TACOMA PRIVATE SCHOOL GOT $200K TO KEEP DOORS OPEN, BUT ITS FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN

The interim head of school said the school has been running a deficit for the last 10 years. | Published March 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Park

The entrance to Sound Christian Academy, a private Christian school in south Tacoma. The school posted on Facebook on Feb. 28, 2025 that it needed $210,000 to continue operations or risk shutting down mid-school year.

NO. 2: HEAD OF TACOMA PRIVATE SCHOOL THAT RAISED $210K TO STAY OPEN ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT FINANCES

The school was sometimes forced to delay payday, the interim head of school said. | Published March 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Park

The entrance to Sound Christian Academy, a private Christian school in south Tacoma. The school posted on Facebook on Feb. 28, 2025 that it needed $210,000 to continue operations or risk shutting down mid-school year.

NO. 3: TACOMA PRIVATE SCHOOL THAT RAISED $210K TO AVOID SHUTDOWN WILL CLOSE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR

The school raised $210,000 in donations to stay open through the end of March, but June 13 is set to be its last day. | Published April 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Park

The entrance to Sound Christian Academy, a private Christian school in south Tacoma. The school posted on Facebook on Feb. 28, 2025 that it needed $210,000 to continue operations or risk shutting down mid-school year.

NO. 4: EMBATTLED TACOMA PRIVATE SCHOOL TO STAY OPEN AFTER ‘GENEROUS SUPPORTER’ STEPS IN

The announcement comes as the school faces two lawsuits that allege missed payments to the IRS and a private lender. | Published May 7, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Park

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.