| Desert Christian Schools | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 7525 E. Speedway Blvd.
9415 E. Wrightstown Rd. |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Private Christian school |
| Motto | "Discipling young people to make a difference in their world" |
| Established | 1986 |
| Principal | Jon R. Self (high school) Ron Smith (K-8) |
| Headmaster | John O'Hair |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | 202 high school students (Oct. 2010), 482 total |
| Color(s) | Royal blue/black/white |
| Mascot | Eagles |
| Accreditation(s) | Association of Christian Schools International |
| Information | 520.901.5499 |
| Website | [1] |
Desert Christian Schools is a private Christian school system in Tucson, Arizona. Offering grades K-12, it operates elementary, middle and high schools.
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The high school was founded in 1986 in rented space at Christ Community Church, with 23 9th- and 10th-grade students and seven faculty members. It moved to the El Camino Baptist Church campus on east Speedway Boulevard in 1991 as its enrollment approached 100. It was expanded with a middle school in 2000 and elementary school in 2004. The high school and middle school moved from the El Camino campus to a location nearby, also on Speedway Blvd., in 2001.[1]
Desert Christian Schools currently serves 217 high school, 113 middle school, and 152 elementary students. The schools are served by 65 full and part-time faculty and staff. With the start of the 2011 fall semester, the elementary and middle school took up residence in a newly built campus on Wrightstown Road, leaving the Speedway location for the exclusive use of the high school.
Desert Christian Schools is in its twenty-third year of offering Christ-centered education. Respected academically, 95% of their graduates attend colleges, universities and military academies across the United States. In the last three years, 152 graduates earned approximately $5 million in scholarships for academic achievement, leadership and athletics. Two of the last four Arizona Daily Star Student's of the Year have been DCHS graduates. The middle school regularly produces top finishers in regional ACSI Math Olympics and Spelling Bee. Students at all three schools consistently score well above the national average on achievement assessments, with DCHS having several National Merit Scholarship winners in recent years.
Their performing arts and musical theater department has established a reputation for excellence, attracting audiences from all over Tucson. In recent years, the Southern Arizona Shakespeare competition has chosen three DCS students to represent Southern Arizona at the national competition at NYC's Lincoln Center and USA Weekend named the DCHS production of "Camelot" the "Best High School Musical" in Arizona.
Athletically, their boys and girls teams have distinguished themselves by winning many conference and state titles, but more importantly, character awards such as this year's Boyd Baker trophy for outstanding sportsmanship among all 1A-5A high schools in Southern Arizona. Their athletic director has been nationally recognized for outstanding contributions to the state athletic association. DCHS received the highest Arizona Interscholastic Association state honor, The Blue Cup Award, which recognizes the excellence of their co-curricular activities and the school's achievements in "Pursuing Victory with Honor." The faculty and staff have also distinguished themselves with national recognition in the areas of science, yearbook, and the High School Senior Expo program.[2]
The mission of Desert Christian Schools is to disciple students in partnership with Christian families while providing a biblically integrated traditional liberal arts education, so that they will mature spiritually, develop a biblical worldview, and be academically prepared to impact their world for Christ.[3]
Used with permission