Valley Christian has announced plans to expand to include grades 6-8, opening the new junior high school on the newly renovated campus of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Tempe.
The new school will open for the 2018-19.
According to Bryan Winfrey, spokesman for Valley Christian, the school already has begun a national search for a principal.
The school will utilize the upcoming year to upgrade classrooms and make necessary preparations for the 2018-19 school year, according to Winfrey.
The junior high will include a 1:1 technology program for all grades, a full athletics program, fine arts program, and STEM offerings.
Said Valley Christian Administrator Dan Kuiper:
“We’ve seen continued growth and exceptional demand for a Valley Christian education over the last five years, in large part due to the value added to our academic and extra-curricular programs.
“We believe a family should not have to sacrifice any aspect of their child’s education in order to attend a Christian school, so we have invested heavily in our faculty, in technology, and in creating high level opportunities for our students to succeed in and out of the classroom.
“We believe we can create this same value for students in junior high and better prepare them for high school and college by offering our big school opportunities in a small school environment.”
The school’s Tempe campus will feature an academic building, multi-use facility, gymnasium and worship center. The two Valley Christian campuses will be located six miles from each other.
Valley Christian is one of the fastest growing Christian high schools in the nation over the last five years, Winfrey noted.
The high school in Chandler is reported to be near capacity, with 420 students enrolled for the 2017-18 school year.
Valley Christian was established in 1982 and is ranked as one of the Top 50 Christian high schools in the U.S. by The Best Schools.
The school ranks highly due to academic performance, well-rounded opportunities for students, and faith based integration. Over the past three years, 97% of students have gone to college and 95% have been accepted into the school of their first choice.
Students enroll in the high school from more than 50 different public, charter and private schools across the Valley, representing over 90 churches.
School officials have announced plans to add a multi-story academic building within the next few years which will increase capacity to 600 students.
Families can learn more about the new junior high at vchsaz.org/jrhigh.
