Home School Legal Defense Association 
Summary
It's hard to put HSLDA in a box-just like the homeschooling families we stand for. But everything we do is motivated by our desire to help children thrive and succeed through homeschooling.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Home School Legal Defense Association
PO Box 3000
Purcellville, VA 20134
Website: hslda.org
Phone: 540-338-5600
Email: sales@hslda.org
Organization details
EIN: 521354365
CEO/President: J. Michael Smith
Chairman: J. Michael Smith
Board size: 7
Founder: Mike Farris and Mike Smith
Year founded: 1986
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 03/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2003
Purpose
HSLDA is the trusted movement leader that makes homeschooling possible by caring for member families and protecting and securing the future of homeschooling. Our vision is to see every homeschooling family have the resources they need to provide the best education they can for their children.
Mission statement
In short, our mission is to make homeschooling possible.
Statement of faith
Our leaders, directors, and employees all live by the foundational teachings of Christianity. Although we come from a variety of Christian denominations and traditions, we share the following beliefs:
There is one God, who exists eternally in three Persons (the Trinity): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because human beings are sinful by nature and inherently in need of salvation, God became a flesh-and-blood human to save us-Jesus Christ, the Son, who was conceived by God in a virgin woman, Mary. In His death, Jesus received the consequences for sin that we deserved. He then rose bodily from the dead and will literally come again to earth in the Second Advent.
The salvation that Jesus Christ made possible for us is exclusively found by faith alone in Him and His shed blood. We find all these truths in the Holy Bible, which is the inspired and infallible Word of God. Because of our thankfulness to God for saving us, we try to imitate Christ in all we do.
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Community Development
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 38 of 725 | 3 of 26 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 144 of 726 | 4 of 26 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 35 of 726 | 1 of 26 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 129 of 725 | 5 of 26 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 11% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 8% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 88% | 99% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 8% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 12% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 79% | 93% | 94% | 95% | 95% | 95% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 100% | 108% | 106% | 107% | 92% | 92% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 80% | 100% | 100% | 102% | 87% | 88% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 0% | -8% | -6% | -7% | 8% | 8% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 1% | -21% | -13% | -12% | 12% | 15% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.24 | 2.69 | 2.23 | 1.69 | 1.37 | 1.73 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.89 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.14 | 2.71 | 2.25 | 1.69 | 1.37 | 1.73 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 9.58 | 13.26 | 23.89 | 22.99 | 27.60 | 18.27 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.10 | 0.08 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.05 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 4.65 | 4.10 | 5.12 | 6.81 | 8.45 | 6.55 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 9% | 8% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 5% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 76% | 34% | 43% | 57% | 70% | 55% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Cash | $761,068 | $917,015 | $1,043,497 | $1,161,453 | $1,023,880 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $70,131 | $52,465 | $64,746 | $66,511 | $78,050 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $831,199 | $969,480 | $1,108,243 | $1,227,964 | $1,101,930 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $4,289 | $5,719 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $4,289 | $5,719 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total assets | $835,488 | $975,199 | $1,108,243 | $1,227,964 | $1,101,930 |
| Liabilities | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $62,686 | $40,573 | $48,202 | $44,488 | $60,320 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $62,686 | $40,573 | $48,202 | $44,488 | $60,320 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $62,686 | $40,573 | $48,202 | $44,488 | $60,320 |
| Net assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Unrestricted | $246,753 | $321,065 | $421,036 | $506,148 | $359,276 |
| Temporarily restricted | $526,049 | $613,561 | $639,005 | $677,328 | $682,334 |
| Permanently restricted | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | $772,802 | $934,626 | $1,060,041 | $1,183,476 | $1,041,610 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Total contributions | $2,074,946 | $2,047,222 | $1,739,204 | $1,816,301 | $2,064,875 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $2,691 | $3,327 | $2,468 | $3,296 | $2,610 |
| Other revenue | $10,836 | $3,189 | $2,301 | $3,417 | $1,032 |
| Total other revenue | $13,527 | $6,516 | $4,769 | $6,713 | $3,642 |
| Total revenue | $2,088,473 | $2,053,738 | $1,743,973 | $1,823,014 | $2,068,517 |
| Expenses | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Program services | $2,094,885 | $2,055,714 | $1,776,463 | $1,592,260 | $1,821,155 |
| Management and general | $55,021 | $55,325 | $44,002 | $43,198 | $47,438 |
| Fundraising | $100,391 | $68,115 | $46,943 | $45,690 | $38,934 |
| Total expenses | $2,250,297 | $2,179,154 | $1,867,408 | $1,681,148 | $1,907,527 |
| Change in net assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($161,824) | ($125,416) | ($123,435) | $141,866 | $160,990 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($161,824) | ($125,416) | ($123,435) | $141,866 | $160,990 |
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
History
When two attorneys and homeschooling dads-Mike Farris and Mike Smith-founded HSLDA in 1983, homeschooling was just a tiny blip on the educational radar screen. Families who chose to homeschool often encountered opposition-sometimes even legal challenges.
Seeing a need for affordable legal advocacy, the two Mikes joined forces to establish a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting families' right to give their children the kind of unique, personalized education that homeschooling allows.
Today, HSLDA provides over 80,000 member families with the peace of mind knowing that they don't have to homeschool alone. Whether it's legal representation, educational consulting, practical resources, or grants for struggling families, everything we do flows from our core mission of making homeschooling possible.