Industries
Education Accounting, Audit & Advisory Services
Financial stewardship for schools and education organizations navigating complex funding, compliance and governance responsibilities.
Schools and education organizations operate in a uniquely complex financial environment.
Funding streams, grant requirements, board governance, public accountability, reporting deadlines and internal control expectations all place pressure on school leaders and finance teams.
Ericksen Krentel helps education organizations meet those responsibilities with clarity and confidence. Our Assurance & Advisory team provides audit, assurance, compliance and advisory services designed to support stronger financial stewardship, better reporting and more informed decision-making.
We work with charter schools, school boards, private schools, education nonprofits, charter management organizations and education support organizations. Our team understands that education clients need more than technical compliance. They need a financial partner who understands the mission, communicates clearly and helps protect the resources that support students, teachers and communities.
Supporting education through strong financial stewardship
Education organizations exist to educate, inspire, and serve communities. Strong financial stewardship helps protect that mission.
For school leaders and boards, financial reporting is not just about meeting a requirement. It supports public trust, funding stability, grant compliance, board oversight and long-term sustainability.
Ericksen Krentel helps education organizations address financial and compliance responsibilities with a practical, relationship-driven approach. We take time to understand your school’s structure, funding sources, reporting requirements, governance model and leadership priorities so our work is grounded in what your organization actually needs.
Our goal is simple: help education leaders move from compliance pressure to financial clarity.
Who We Serve
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Charter schools often face a demanding combination of public funding requirements, board governance, enrollment reporting, grant compliance, audit deadlines and renewal considerations.
We help charter school leaders and boards navigate annual audits, Single Audits, internal controls, compliance reporting, financial statement needs and advisory conversations tied to growth, renewal or leadership transition.
SCHOOL BOARDS
School boards and public education governing bodies need reliable financial information to support oversight, transparency and accountability.
We help school boards address audit requirements, public funding compliance, board-facing reporting, internal control considerations and financial communication for both finance and non-finance audiences.
Private Schools
Private schools balance tuition, donor support, financial aid, board reporting, budgeting, reserves and long-term sustainability.
We help private school leaders and boards evaluate financial statement needs, reporting processes, internal controls, budgeting, forecasting and other advisory matters that support responsible governance.
Education Support Organizations
Education support organizations, school foundations, education nonprofits, charter management organizations and related entities often manage grants, restricted funds, program costs and reporting obligations across multiple stakeholders.
We help these organizations strengthen financial reporting, grant compliance, internal controls, board communication and audit readiness.
Compliance made clear
Schools face a shifting landscape of state regulations, federal funding requirements, audit standards, grant obligations and board expectations. Those requirements can be difficult to manage when leadership teams are also focused on instruction, operations, staffing and student outcomes.
We help education organizations navigate requirements such as:
- Annual financial statement audits
- Single Audits under Uniform Guidance
- State Department of Education reporting
- Charter school compliance frameworks
- Federal program compliance
- Grant compliance and documentation
- Enrollment reporting and accuracy considerations
- Internal control requirements
- Board and governance reporting
- Agreed-upon procedures or targeted compliance procedures
Our role is to help make compliance understandable, organized and actionable.
Audit, assurance and financial statement services for education organizations
Education organizations may need different levels of assurance or financial statement support depending on their funding, governance model, stakeholder requirements and reporting obligations.
AUDIT Services
Independent audits that help education organizations meet reporting requirements, strengthen accountability and provide stakeholders with confidence in the financial information they rely on.
single audits
For schools and education organizations receiving federal awards, Single Audits require careful attention to compliance, documentation, internal controls and reporting. We help education clients prepare for and navigate Single Audit requirements with clear communication and practical guidance.
REview services
Limited assurance for education organizations that need credible financial statements without the full scope of an audit. Learn more about our review services.
Compliation and Preparation Services
Financial statement services for education organizations that need clear reporting without audit- or review-level assurance.
Agreed-upon procedures and attestation
Targeted procedures for specific reporting, compliance, enrollment, grant, board or stakeholder questions.
Advisory support for stronger school finance
Education leaders need financial information they can use, not just reports they can file. Our advisory support helps schools strengthen reporting, controls, budgeting, compliance and board communication.
Advisory support may include:
- Grant compliance and financial reporting
- Internal control evaluations
- Budget development and forecasting
- Cash-flow visibility
- Policies and procedures alignment
- Board-facing presentations and training
- Best-practice guidance for school finance teams
- Support during leadership transitions
- Dashboarding and KPI tracking
- Benchmarking and trend analysis
- Audit readiness
- Expansion, renewal or new charter application support
This is where our advisory mindset matters. We look for ways to help school leaders understand what the numbers are telling them, what risks need attention and what decisions may need to be made.
Strengthen your school’s financial reporting and compliance.
What sets our education approach apart
Education work is technical, but the relationship behind it matters. School leaders, finance teams and boards need more than a report or a request list. They need a team that understands the education environment, communicates clearly and follows through.
At Ericksen Krentel, we build meaningful relationships with education clients because better relationships lead to better conversations, better planning and better outcomes. We demand excellence, not perfection. That means we hold ourselves to high standards, communicate directly, solve problems quickly and continuously look for ways to improve the client experience.
In plain terms: we get it done – cleanly, timely and with insight.
We understand school operating realities
Education organizations have unique pressures: funding deadlines, enrollment counts, board meetings, grant compliance, public accountability, staffing transitions and operational demands. We bring that context to the work.
We communicate for finance and non-finance audiences
School finance can be complex. We help translate financial reporting, audit findings, compliance matters and internal control observations into practical conversations for management, boards and other stakeholders.
We support schools throughout the year.
Our approach is collaborative, educational and solutions-focused. We provide guidance beyond audit season so school leaders can address issues before they become urgent.
We connect compliance to better decision-making.
Compliance matters, but it is not the end goal. We help education organizations use audit results, reporting trends, dashboards and advisory observations to strengthen financial oversight and future planning.
We understand the mission.
Schools exist to serve students and communities. Our work is designed to support that mission by strengthening financial health, compliance posture and operational confidence.
Deep roots in the education community
Ericksen Krentel has intentionally built experience in the education space. Our team works with schools and education organizations of different sizes, structures, funding models and governance environments.
Our professionals support education clients through:
- Training for school finance teams and board members
- Board-facing presentations
- Ongoing guidance to school leadership
- Support for expansion, renewals and transitions
- Compliance and reporting conversations
- Practical insight drawn from a range of school environments
We do not view education as a generic nonprofit category. We view it as a specialized area where funding, compliance, governance and mission intersect.
Technology-enabled insight for education organizations
Technology is changing how schools manage information, evaluate risk and communicate financial results. Ericksen Krentel is evolving with that change.
We use data analytics and emerging AI-assisted tools where they can improve efficiency, enhance risk assessment, identify trends and support more meaningful conversations with clients. For education organizations, these tools may help analyze budget-to-actual results, grant spending, enrollment-related data, resource allocation, program trends, dashboards or benchmark information across relevant data points.
Technology does not replace professional judgment. It helps us ask better questions, focus on higher-risk areas and deliver clearer insight to school leaders and boards.
Our approach is practical: use technology where it improves quality, efficiency and client understanding while maintaining confidentiality, professional skepticism and quality standards.
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