This is the fourth installment of a 5-part blog series by CHA Head of School Joseph Torgerson, entitled "Christian Schooling: A Ministry Like No Other."
“We want to send our kids to Christian preschool to build a foundation before heading to kindergarten in our public school district.”
“We plan to wait to send our son to CHA until 7th grade, when things become really difficult socially in public school.”
“We want our boys to go to public school for high school so they can get a sense of the real world before college.”
Of course there are exceptions, but this piecemeal approach to Christian schooling is generally not a great idea. I strongly urge against it, and here are two reasons why:
The longer kids are at CHA, the better their scores and, conversely, kids who enroll at CHA in later grades – or leave and then return – are typically behind. I’m a good case study. My kids were in public school for two years, and they were playing catch up after they enrolled at CHA. Take a look at the grade level equivalency data below from our pre-high school standardized testing in English (ELA) and math.
Each year, CHA students trounce national equivalency averages. And the longer they are here, the further they go from that baseline metric. The same goes for our high schoolers: their improvement from the PSAT to the SAT is markedly higher than national averages. The jump from our PSAT to SAT language scores is 95 points versus the national average of 81 points. In math, our students jump 83 points versus the national average of 57.
And CHA is right in line with Chicagoland’s best public high schools:
Sending kids to a Christian school like CHA is not a step down; it’s a step up, academically. But that advancement is more fully realized through a multi-year commitment. Getting the most out of CHA means attending from PK3 to grade 12. (But of course, it’s also better late than never!)
But it’s not just about academics.
Skipping a year or two of schooling at CHA is skipping a year or two of important spiritual and social development. My kids play club sports. Every once in a while, one of their teammates will take a break for a year or two and then try out for the club again. Guess what? Often those kids, having missed a year or two of development, don’t make the cut. Or they do, but they are placed on a lower level. This seems like a given in sports, but why don’t we think this way about our kids' spiritual and social development?
Our GO! Week trips, for example, are designed for year-on-year growth. Middle Schoolers stay local, and each year they focus on one of three major social issues of our time. Freshmen go on a leadership retreat that intentionally prepares them for three years of high school service. Each part is important.
Our Bible curriculum is strategic, year-on-year. A student coming in as a sophomore, for example, just missed a full-year course on the Gospels. Without the yearly experience of leading a Lower School chapel, the prospect of a 6th grader leading worship in Middle School is daunting. A student who has missed Middle School has missed out on three years of our mentorship program – dozens of conversations with teachers about spiritual gifts, social media, or friendships have been missed. This is not to mention the myriad daily growth opportunities through friendships, advice from teachers, or lessons from mistakes made in a Christian environment.
Don’t treat Christian schooling as a consumer, choosing items from a menu. Every year in a Christian school matters; don’t miss the opportunities that each one offers.
If you’re taking a piecemeal approach to Christian education, please reconsider. Our admissions team would love to talk with you as you discern the opportunity.
If you fully understand that each year of Christian education matters – and have experienced it yourself in your own life or the lives of your kids – consider making CHA a part of your regular giving. Not only do we need your gifts to continue in excellence, we also need your support to help make Christian education available to all through financial aid. Join us!
—JT
Joe Torgerson (M.Ed., University of Missouri, B.A., Bethel University) serves as Head of School at CHA. Drawing on nine years of high school humanities teaching in addition to nearly a decade of U.S. and international administrative leadership, Joe guides the school with a global perspective rooted in a lifelong commitment to Christian ministry. He is a husband, father of three, and an avid enthusiast of athletics, board games, music, and dim sum.
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