Welcome to Stories
The view looked different for Juan Cabrera, ACSI’s retiring VP of Information Technology, 25 years ago in the capital city Quito, Ecuador. Sitting at 9,350 feet in elevation, the bustling city is a historically rich hub in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Cabrera, having a heart for sharing the gospel worldwide, never thought he’d be serving the Lord in Ecuador— let alone for 10 years.
Vanessa Cheng and Dr. Minta Hardman share more than a passion for Christian education. Both have recently faced serious legislative threats to school choice and religious liberty—and responded with bold, community-driven advocacy. Though separated by nearly 10,000 miles, both leaders confronted legislation that would restrict Christian schools’ ability to hire staff aligned with their faith. Inspired by one another’s efforts, Cheng and Hardman each mobilized their communities, resulting in significant wins for religious freedom.
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More than 200 Christian school leaders, educators, and staff members gathered in person in Denver, Colorado, and virtually for ACSI’s one-day mental health symposium, Secure & Sound: Cultivating Mental Health and Safety in Christian Schools. The event brought together schools from across the country to discuss the growing mental health challenges facing students and educators while exploring practical ways Christian schools can cultivate healthier and safer learning environments.
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The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) hosted its annual International Math Competition, featuring three different levels of competition in the areas of computation and reasoning for grades 3-8. Designed to celebrate and cultivate mathematical excellence worldwide, the competition included nearly 7,000 registrations across five countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, and the United States.
Wheaton Christian Grammar School (WCGS) is the center of a thriving, Christ-honoring community in Winfield, Illinois. Founded in 1942 by a group of parents who desired to integrate the Bible into every aspect of student learning, the school has experienced remarkable growth—particularly over the past five years. Today, with a record enrollment of 736 students, the K–8 school has expanded its campus, adapted to changing needs, and built a strong legacy of more than 3,000 graduates.
Featured Event
Rooted Educator Worldview Summit '26
June 15–17, 2026 | DoubleTree Hotel | Colorado Springs, CO
Rooted will explore what it means to be human in light of the Christian worldview and how this vision reshapes the aims, practices, and culture of Christian education. Grounded in the biblical narrative—from creation in God’s image, to the distortion of sin, to redemption and restoration in Christ—the conference invites educators to consider how a robust theological understanding of personhood informs formation, teaching, curriculum, and community life. By recovering a hopeful, truthful, and dignifying view of humanity, Christian education can equip students to embrace their identity as image-bearers, their belonging within God’s family, and their call to participate meaningfully in God’s redemptive work in the world.
Blog
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Spiritual formation is central to the mission of Christian schools. Yet in a culture marked by declining religious participation, institutional distrust, and increasing secularization, questions about whether schools meaningfully shape graduates’ long-term faith trajectories have become more pressing. Can schools cultivate patterns of belief and practice that last beyond adolescence and into adulthood? A new Cardus report, Enduring Faith: Patterns of Religious Practice and Values Among Religious School Graduates, explores those questions by examining nearly a decade of data from the Cardus Education Survey (CES).
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Increasing Christian school enrollment, decreasing spiritual development in modern American culture, and its recognized increased importance provide a strong opportunity for Christian schools to contribute to adolescent spiritual development in its students. The new student enrollment influx of ACSI creates an opportunity to educate more students for the Christian school’s spiritual development and faith transmission. Well, how does the Christian school contribute to its high school students lived experience of spiritual development?
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Each spring, Christian schools and universities step into graduation season. Auditoriums fill. Families celebrate. Diplomas are handed out. Photos are taken. And rightly so, since graduation is a meaningful milestone. But for educators, it should also be a meaningful checkpoint. Graduation is not just a celebration of what students have completed. It is one of the clearest opportunities we have to ask a deeper question: What have we actually prepared them for?
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For decades, schools have poured resources into curriculum, tutoring, intervention staffing, and MTSS frameworks—yet national outcomes remain stubbornly flat. Only about one‑third of U.S. fourth graders are proficient in reading or math, and achievement gaps have barely shifted in a generation. The uncomfortable truth is that by the time grade 3 accountability data arrives, four years of instructional trajectory are already set. Leaders are reacting to lagging indicators rather than shaping early learning pathways.
Podcast
Guest host Sean Englert shares what Northlake Christian School (LA) has learned through student assessments about biblical literacy and what type of biblical reading plan can help.
Steve Buttry is a real estate developer as well as the President of Workplace Ministries, Inc., and he joins Jerry Nelson to discuss God's vision for work.
Learn about how the Legal Defense Reimbursement Fund can supplement your school's risk management, with ACSI VP for Legal Affairs, Philip Scott. We also spotlight Calvary Christian High School (FL) with Head of School David Kilgore.
Guest host Samantha Farinacci of Oaks Christian Online School shares insights on chaplaining at a Christian school during an era of artificial intelligence.
Stay Informed on ACSI's Events and Resources
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President's Office
“I can think of no greater cause than to partner with you to advance Christ-centered education.” Dr. Larry Taylor, ACSI President & CEO
Dr. Taylor has been serving in education for over 30 years. He is passionate about training up this generation of disciples for Jesus Christ through Christian education.
Prior to accepting the President position at ACSI, Dr. Larry Taylor served twenty years as the Head of School at Prestonwood Christian Academy (PCA) in Plano, Texas. Prestonwood Christian Academy serves more than 1,600 students enrolled at four campuses as part of its school system.
Click the link below to read more.
ACSI's Mission
ACSI exists to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
ACSI's Foundational 3 Pillars
Advancing
Leading Christ-centered education toward excellence and flourishing
We want all schools to aspire to, achieve, and remain committed to a biblically-based philosophy of education, standards that are measurable, and flourishing-related criteria. ACSI strives to lead, support, and serve Christian schools, and educators, by placing them on a path of growth and flourishing using the research-based Flourishing Schools Initiative. This model should link leadership and faculty professional development accreditation, and every culture-driving component of a school. A common philosophy, and a flourishing-based metric, would unify our efforts of advancing Christian schools and educators.
Access
Making Christ-centered education available and obtainable
ACSI is committed to making Kingdom education available to as many children and families as desire it, believing that such an education offers students an opportunity to grow in a loving relationship with their Creator, come to know His saving work through Jesus, and flourish in His Ephesians 2:10 calling for their lives. This commitment requires removing barriers to access for those who traditionally have not benefited from Christian school, as well as seeking out new ways to create access points to Kingdom education and the ability to thrive and be successful in that education—for all those who desire it.
Advocacy
Promoting and protecting Christ-centered education for today and tomorrow
As the largest evangelical Christian school association in the world, ACSI is by default viewed as the spokesperson for Christian schooling in the public square. In order to discharge this responsibility with excellence and seasoned speech (Colossians 4:6), and to equip our member schools to do the same, ACSI must invest in developing public-facing resources and forming strategic relationships with those working in the area of advocacy for Christian Education and for religious liberty.
Stay Connected to ACSI
The ACSI Community online forum exists to provide connection, collaboration, and networking with Christ-centered education advocates, educators, and influencers in a protected online environment.
ACSI Community offers Christian educators opportunities to Connect, Collaborate, Compel, Captivate, and Comprehend. Join thousands of like-minded education professionals around to globe to grow in knowledge, sharpen skills, and deepen your faith, in a safe, authentic virtual environment.
ACSI provide helpful tools for you to find the next position God has for you through a resume review search and career planning portal. You can also discover ACSI positions.
Thinking about serving internationally? PFO2Go will provide the confidence to enter a new culture in which to both work and live outside the United States.
ACSI Hosts First-Ever National Math Olympics with 11,000 Students
ACSI's Student Leadership and Learning Department hosted the first-ever ACSI National Math Olympics Competition from April 30-May 2. The competition took place in an online testing environment with nearly 11,000 students competing to earn a spot in the national competition. A total of 434 students from 31 states and Taiwan participated in the national competition.
The competition was organized into two categories: Reasoning and Computation.
For the reasoning competition, winners for each grade level included: 3rd grade- Abigail Chu from Eastside Christian, WA; 4th grade- Lucas Forrey from Tri-City Christian, CA; 5th grade- William Li from Los Altos Christian, CA; 6th grade- JJ Liang from Providence Christian, GA; 7th grade- Clark Hartman from Grace Christian, OH; 8th grade- Jaden Huang from Veritas Chrisitan, MA, Zhiqian Wang from Prestonwood Christian-Plano, TX.
For the computation competition, winners for each grade level included: 3rd grade-Donovan Chen from Olive Branch Christian, CA, Leona Jiao from Valley Christian Elementary, CA, Olivia Zamora from Round Rock Christian, TX; 4th grade- Madalyn Tan from Eastside Christian, WA; 5th grade- Gabriela Valencia from Weston Christian, FL; 6th grade- Tanya Chiang from Trinity Christian, TX; 7th grade- Caleb Cho from New Covenant, CA; 8th grade- Calista Tjandra from California Crosspoint, CA.
Emily Pigott, ACSI’s Director of Student Leadership and Learning, shared about this new program and her hopes for the following year.
“The National Math Olympics competition is a testament to the dedication of our young mathematicians and those that educate them,” she said. “Students from across the country, as well as one international school, showcased their mathematical abilities through problem-solving and critical thinking. We celebrate the culmination of their hard work and perseverance. We look forward to expanding this competition for the 2024-25 school year as we implement our International Math Competition and engage schools globally.”
There are many new and innovative programs in the upcoming 2024-2025 school year that will continue ACSI’s commitment to fostering student leadership, engagement, and cultural impact. These include experiential leadership conferences and immersive learning experiences that are crafted to empower students to utilize their God-given abilities in impacting their culture for Christ.
Pigott shared what she is passionate about regarding new programs this upcoming school year.
“The focus on servant leadership and the integration of biblical worldview development into every component of our programs will equip students to discover and hone their God-given talents and increase their cultural influence for Jesus,” she said. “There is nothing more exciting than watching students understand their capacity and worth in Jesus and use their influence to make Him known. This is why we do what we do…creating experiences to develop servant leaders that exemplify Matthew 20:26-28.”
Learn more about Student Leadership and Learning opportunities at https://www.acsi.org/studentleadership.
Strategic Partners
ACSI proudly presents the Strategic Partnership Program, which includes companies, organizations, and ministries who have been carefully chosen to benefit you—our member schools—and to assist you in accomplishing your life-changing mission.
