ANNUAL REPORT
COVENANT DAY SCHOOL
2024-2025
FROM THE Head of School
A CELEBRATION OF GENEROSITY
Dear Covenant Day Families, Alumni, and Friends:
As we celebrate the generosity of our community, we are reminded that Covenant Day is more than programs and facilities; it is a community devoted to transforming hearts and minds for the glory of Jesus Christ. Every gift, every act of support, enriches the student experience, empowers our faculty and staff, and strengthens our Christ-centered community.
Your gifts to the Lions Fund continue to make a tangible difference in the daily lives of our students. While tuition covers the majority of our operating expenses, it is your support that allows us to respond to emerging needs, enhance learning experiences, and provide missiondriven opportunities that elevate the Covenant Day experience every day. In 2024–2025, gifts to all funds exceeded $1,146,200, with $812,548 directed to the unrestricted Lions Fund, which supports the daily operations of our school and addresses the immediate needs of students and faculty.
At the same time, we are moving boldly into the future through the Forever Covenant campaign. Phase I focuses on completing Warner Park, our $10.5 million initiative to transform our athletic facilities into a vibrant hub for the Covenant Day community. More than fields and bleachers, Warner Park will be a place for students, parents, alums, and families to gather, celebrate, and grow together—building relationships, fostering community, and advancing our mission of Christ-centered education.
The 2024-2025 annual report recognizes the accomplishments made possible by your generosity and looks forward to what we can achieve together. Your support through the Lions Fund, the Forever Covenant campaign, and your prayers and involvement ensure that Covenant Day continues to thrive, equipping students to live as salt and light in their communities.
We are deeply grateful for the faithful support of our donors, families, and friends. Together, we are building more than facilities; we are shaping lives, nurturing community, and investing in a legacy that will bless generations to come.
Thank you for your partnership, your prayers, and your generosity.
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Mark Helmer Head of School
Operating Budget
2024-2025
Operating Revenue
Gross Tuition and Fees
Less: Financial Aid & Base Discounts
Other Revenue (Interest and Endowment Draw)
Church Direct Support
Donations Supporting Operating Budget
Total Revenue
Operating Expenses
Employee Compensation, Benefits, and Related Costs
Operating Expenses (Curriculum, Classroom Needs, Technology, etc.)
Buildings and Facilities Support
Athletics and Warner Park Maintenance
Debt Service
Total Expenses
$19,039,600 -$1,677,163 $290,000 $225,000 $115,000 $17,992,437
$13,356,228 $2,048,059 $1,320,500 $839,650 $428,000 $17,992,437
SIGNIFICANT BALANCES AND OPERATING METRICS
As of June 30, 2025
Total Value of Endowments
Total Debt Total Enrollment Total Full-Time Employees
SCHOOL-CHURCH PARTNERSHIP
The school is governed by a Board of Trustees and operates as a distinct but integrated ministry of Christ Covenant Church. As such, the school and church strive to maintain strong mission alignment, intentional leadership connectivity, and prudent resource management (including the use of the campus itself) with the goal of providing quality spaces for all ministries on campus to grow and thrive. Examples of financial benefits that the school receives through its partnership with the church include:
Direct Financial Support
The church provides a direct contribution each year to the operating budget of the school (for 2024-25, this contribution was $225,000).
Use of Church-Supported Facilities
While several of the school’s newer facilities have been built by, and are maintained with, funds that come from tuition and/ or school-led fundraising efforts, some of the facilities used by the school are supported primarily by the church. These include the lower school A and B buildings, the Community Life Center, and the Worship Center, without which the school would not be able to carry out the full scope of its mission.
School-Supported Facilities and Other Cost Sharing
The school’s budget includes funding for the full operating costs of the high school, the middle school, the lower school C building, the Warner Park athletic complex, and all other fields, courts, and outdoor spaces used by students. However, the school and church share in the cost of providing for broader needs such as the maintenance of the main campus grounds, a campuswide technology infrastructure, security and operations personnel, and insurance coverages, to name just a few of the more significant shared costs.
The school’s relationship with Christ Covenant Church continues to provide the rich spiritual grounding and greater organizational capacity that shape our unique calling and distinctive as a school. From a strictly financial perspective, while it is difficult to put an exact dollar figure on it, this partnership with our sponsoring church encourages a commitment to stewardship, enhances our sustainability, and allows us to continue providing a truly transformative Christian education to our students.
$812,548 LIONS FUND
$102,220 BOOSTER MEMBERSHIPS/GOLF TOURNAMENT
$25,650 COVENANT ARTS MEMBERSHIPS/FINE ARTS
$67,600 ENDOWMENTS
$138,185 OTHER $1,146,203
SAVE THE DATE
OCTOBER 22, 2025 giving day
This Year’s Giving Day Supports the Lions Fund and Forever Covenant!
On October 22, 2025, we invite you to join us for a special day of giving to support both the present and future of Covenant Day School. From classroom resources to enhancements, the Lions Fund, our annual fund, supports projects and needs as they arise throughout the school year. The Forever Covenant campaign is focused on building the infrastructure our growing programs need, including the completion of Warner Park, ensuring Covenant Day continues to thrive for generations to come. Together, we can make this vision a reality. It will take 100% engagement from our community, and every gift, large or small, creates momentum and lasting impact for our students and community. We invite you to reflect on the blessings God has entrusted to you and consider how you might participate. Make your gift on or before Giving Day, October 22, and help shape both the present and future of Covenant Day School.
Your Generosity at Work
Updated Downstairs Bathrooms and Refreshed Stairway Paint in the B Building
Worship and Choir Room Addition off the Back of the C Building
New Main Gym Floor
Window Shades in the High School
FIELD HOUSE
EIGHT-LANE TRACK
FIELD EVENT AMENITIES
CONCESSIONS
RESTROOMS
PAVED PARKING
STADIUM SEATING PRESSBOX
ASSOCIATED FIELD REPAIRS SITEWORK EARTHWORK
Rendering is conceptual and subject to change.
Board of Trustees
The Session of Christ Covenant Church appoints the Board of Trustees of Covenant Day School to hold the school in trust, that is, to oversee the strategic operation of the school. The Board is comprised of up to 15 trustees. Each trustee serves a three-year term, renewable at the option of the Board of Trustees and Session of Christ Covenant Church. When trustees are convened in an official Board meeting, they speak as the Board. An individual trustee does not have any Board power outside of an official Board meeting. The Board employs only one person, the head of school. All other school employees report to the head of school. This year, we welcomed two new board members: Daniel Burns and Lans Slack.
Additional members of the 2025-2026 Board of Trustees are pictured below.
From left: Brandon Ruby, Allison Nelson, Blair Smith, Josh Grissom (Treasurer), Kevin DeYoung, Greg Love, Courtney Silver, Derek Wells, Beth Harrelson, Rich Protasewich (Chairman), Marisa Deaton (Secretary), Mark Helmer, and Drew Peterson (Vice Chairman)
Daniel Burns
Lans Slack
1
2
3
4
5
6
Strategic Goals
Prioritize authentic relationship with Christ by encouraging and equipping the CDS community to grow in personal discipleship and service to others.
Provide academic excellence in Christ-centered education by identifying and addressing the needs of each learner to provide the best educational opportunities possible.
Develop a plan for the ongoing recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of a strong faculty and support staff to strengthen students’ learning and spiritual development.
Prioritize campus facility enhancement opportunities based on a thorough analysis of academic, athletics, and fine arts needs supported by a strengthened church and school relationship.
Actively work to build a unified school community that is welcoming and loving to believers of different cultural, racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, demonstrating how historic divisions are broken down in Christ and reflecting the values of the kingdom of God.
Enhance the school’s philanthropic culture, coordinate its development efforts, and emphasize good stewardship in long-range planning to achieve the school’s vision and ensure long-term financial sustainability.
In 2022, the Board of Trustees appointed an ad hoc strategic planning committee that included school staff members, trustees, and parents. The committee reviewed our mission, vision, and core values and then developed a framework to guide the future of Covenant Day School. As a result of the groundwork completed by the strategic planning committee, six strategic goals were identified.
Covenant Day continues to make progress toward these goals with the support of teams made up of staff members from across the school. We are advancing spiritual formation through the ongoing work of our Spiritual Formation Director, Phil Davis, who has become an integral part of our team by leading a review and making updates to our Bible curriculum, directing chapel, meeting with students and parents, and more. At the same time, we remain committed to recruiting, hiring, and retaining the highest-quality Christian school educators, recognizing that our teachers are the cornerstone of our school’s strength. Finally, the Forever Covenant campaign represents a bold step forward in achieving our goal of targeted facility enhancements designed to enrich our students’ experience and support our mission. We look forward to building on this momentum as we pursue these goals in the years to come.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024-2025 BUSINESS PARTNERS!
Diamond: RRI Goods
Platinum:
Ashley Homestore
Dentistry of the Carolinas
Mark Ficken Ford Lincoln
Gold:
Brandon Ruby/Helen Adams Realty
Charlotte Oral Surgery
Interstate Foam & Supply
River Pools
Tassel Capital Management
Winn’s Plumbing
Silver:
Carolina Pets Hospital
Chick-Fil-A
Complete Network
Group Jones Realty
Facility System Services, Inc.
Kuckleman & Lucente
Secure in Motion
Star Orthodontics
Vicus Builders
Bronze:
The Collective Cafe
Great Clips
Hull & Coleman Orthodontics
Massey Family Dentistry
National Christian Foundation
Providence Preparatory School
Modish Nail Salon
Tower Property Group
White Duck Taco
To view our 2025-2026 Business Partners or to learn more about the Business Partner program, visit covenantday.org/partnerships.
800 Fullwood Lane, Matthews, NC 28105