Midwestern Christian Academy will turn 69 years old during 2025. Over 90% of the currently existing Christian schools in the United States have been started since 1956, the year MCA came into existence. The school has gone through several transitions and adjustments over the course of its service, including a period of time when there was a high school, and then, when it was no longer practical or feasible to operate high school classes, a junior kindergarten, which we now call Pre-School, was added.
The Christian mission and purpose of MCA has always been the primary reason for its existence. Born out of the vision of Midwest Bible Church, as a result of the Youth for Christ movement which had also prompted the establishment of Phantom Ranch Bible Camp in Wisconsin, the educational objectives at MCA include a complete study of the Bible, along with discipleship ministry opportunities for students, weekly worship together, and an educational philosophy based on the principles of the Christian gospel, integrated into each subject's objectives in a relevant and meaningful way.
Looking back at some of the school's history, somewhere around 3,000 students have made their way through our halls and in our classrooms, and have received at least part of their educational experience here. We are aware of former students and graduates who are serving as pastors, vocational ministers in local churches, and missionaries on the field, as well as those who have made their career in multiple other fields, including business, the technology field, education and health care. Some are now civic leaders in their communities.
Being Bestowed With God's Favor and Honor
At this particular point in our history, we acknowledge our blessings from God and are thankfulness for having received them. Half of the independent, Evangelical Christian schools that have formed the modern Christian school movement in the United States that began about the time MCA was founded have closed their doors over the past two decades. Many of those were schools in urban areas, like MCA, where there is a high density of population and where demographic shifts and the high cost of operation has led to school closures.
Since the pandemic, which was definitely a challenge, we have been able to bring MCA to some new heights in the development of this Christian school.
We achieved full accreditation in December of 2020. While accreditation is not a term with which many parents may be familiar, achieving it is a recognition of the schools meeting or exceeding a set of standards that are based on its overall academic quality, its maintenance of facilities, its operational procedures and the quality and certification of its teaching staff.
During the accreditation process, MCA was commended for the strength of its academic program, evidenced by a high level of student achievement across the board, and for the strength and effectiveness of its campus spiritual life. Interviews with multiple members of the parent community, and with former students and alumni, indicated that the school's function as a discipleship ministry in support of the work of the local churches whose families have enrolled their students here was seen as a high priority.
Our student achievement test scores are now showing evidence of some improvements made in the mathematics curriculum objectives implemented back in 2018. Over 90% of our students earn test scores that rate them as "proficient" in their core subjects, with mathematics and English language arts skills being among the highest. We have been able to increase academic support by adding Title I instruction and this year, are also adding an academic coach.
We have improved our faculty salary scale which has enabled us to retain excellent teachers, an important key to our success as a school. We have a low turnover rate, even among support staff, that contributes to the school's stability.
We have seen some financial blessings enabling us to keep our tuition and fees at a low level, compared to other private, religious based schools in our area, and have been able to make major renovations and improvements to our facilities, including both the Vernon Lee Building and the gym. We have added playground equipment, provide each student above the third grade level with a chrome book for classroom use and we were able to renovate the art room in 2022. The increases we have made in tuition and fees are way below the inflation rate, and our tuition costs to parents remain among the lowest in the city of Chicago for a private, religious-based, fully accredited school.
And What Does the Future Hold?
We have maintained a stable enrollment for the past four years, and that has stabilized the school's finances as well. Most of our classes are at or near capacity enrollment, and this year's eighth grade class, which is our smallest class, will be succeeded by seventh grade, which is twice its size. We are blessed to share our assets with our parents, to keep tuition and fees as low as possible. We have a debt-free facility, owned by the church, for which we pay no lease or rental fee.
The Christian emphasis and spiritual life of the school will always be a top priority. It is the reason for our existence as a ministry, and it is the key to our success as a Christian school, receiving blessings from God's faithfulness to us. As the only Evangelical Christian school on Chicago's northwest side, we are working to help our students be prepared for the high school options they will have when they graduate.
Each year, an eighth grade class graduates. Ten of our students will leave us this year, and next year, we are anticipating that number will more than double. Preparing them for the future is our priority. Eight years in Christian school, in some cases as many as ten, has the potential to be a major presence in their lives, drawing them close to the Lord and helping them rely on his strength through their relationship to Christ. Making sure they don't leave without having multiple opportunities to understand God's grace, and receive it through the sacrifice Christ made on the cross is primary to our mission and purpose.
We want our students to understand that their relationship with Christ means they are spiritually gifted for service in the Kingdom of God, and those gifts will match the ministry needs of a local church.
We also want them to be good citizens. First of all, we want them to understand their responsibility and role as a member of Christ's church, to contribute to its ministry from their own resources which includes everything they've learned about God at MCA. And second, we want them to understand their role as salt and light in a world that needs their influence and the benefit of their work. That's a lot of ground to cover.
So as we approach 2025, and everything that it will bring, we look forward to more years of service in the Christian school ministry. We also look forward to your prayers, and your support as you send your children to our school to help support and undergird their faith. We want to see God's favor and honor.
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