Welcome to Stories
During her 16 years of working in public schools, Meghan Coates was skeptical of private education. “I was thoroughly convinced that in private education, they must be skipping something,” Coates said. “I would get to the end of the day and think, ‘I worked my tail off today. How in the world did they have time for chapel, to study the Bible, or to stop and pray with their kids?’”
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A new agreement between the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Ethiopian Council of Gospel Believers’ Churches marks a significant step for Christian education in Ethiopia and may create new opportunities for faith-based schools in the country.
In alignment with Vision 2030, ACSI’s GRAACE initiatives (Gender, Race, Ability, Academic, Culture, Economic Status) are driven by a desire to foster biblical unity within Christian schools, empowering educators in their mission to make Christian education accessible to all students.
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When educators at a Christian school I consulted recently began to observe that one of their students, Elizabeth, appeared to be increasingly anxious and withdrawn, they did not simply identify the situation as a behavioral issue. Instead, they convened a meeting, bringing together her teachers, parents, and administrators around a single table. "We gather everyone together," one school leader explained. “The goal isn’t to point fingers, but to talk honestly about Elizabeth’s needs. Then we ask, ‘which of these can we meet, and which need support outside the school?’”
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In 2025, ACSI set a new milestone by hosting a Student Track at the annual ACSI Public Policy and Advocacy (PPA) Summit in Washington, D.C., nine students from across the country came to the nation's capital to meet with state representatives and learn about advocacy from policy experts. The 2026 Summit will expand the opportunities for student leaders to engage in advocacy. ACSI Vice President of Educational Resources & Student Programs Emily Pigott looks forward to the event.
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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At a time when the world can feel divided and uncertain, Christian schools have both a calling and an opportunity to teach students about America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and the importance of preserving the values that propelled our nation to a beacon of freedom and opportunity like the world has never seen. Through civics education, we help children understand how their faith, freedom, and responsibility to others are woven into the fabric of our nation’s story, and how those principles will impact its future.
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As educators, learning is our foundation and passion. In most schools, including private Christian institutions, the value of student learning is expressed in its core values, mission and vision statements, and expected student outcomes (ESOs). Ideally, this should make a culture of learning easy to identify. Yet, because school culture evolves gradually, it’s easy to drift off course over time. This can happen due to inconsistent alignment with core values, an overemphasis on grading, resistance to change, little or no professional development, or a lack of intentional faith integration. School culture is essentially “the way we do things around here” (Baker, 2023). It’s powerful and accumulates over time, so cultivating a learning-focused culture requires intentionality and leadership. Here are five strategies to promote and sustain a culture of learning.
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Christian schools across the United States have an incredible opportunity to help children understand not only the story of our nation, but the deeper foundations that still impact its governance today. When young students grasp how faith shaped America’s founding, they are empowered to live as responsible, thoughtful citizens who recognize that freedom and virtue are gifts to steward wisely.
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Accreditation plays a vital role in ensuring quality education in private Christian schools. It is a voluntary process where independent agencies evaluate various aspects of schools, including curricula, faculty, and facilities. This process is essential for maintaining high academic and operational standards, fostering continuous improvement, and attracting families and students. Accreditation not only serves as a signaling device for quality assurance but also affords benchmarked standards for excellence on a broad scale, nationally and, increasingly, globally.
Podcast
Dr. Tim Padgett, Resident Theologian with the Colson Center, and Megan Almon, a speaker with Stand to Reason, are both keynote presenters at the upcoming Rooted Educator Worldview Summit (June 15-17 in Colorado Springs).
Douglas Campbell, Senior Coordinator with the ACSI Ministry Team, hosts this edition of the Grafted Together Podcast alongside two members of the ACSI Spiritual Formation Network, Courtney Crenshaw and Brayden Brown.
"You can't just sprinkle Jesus dust on an otherwise secular education." Noah Brink joins the Grafted Together Podcast and shares how Franklin Christian Academy (TN) prepares students for God's calling by teaching Christianly.
It's not an add-on: the real work of forming a biblical worldview takes a systematic approach at each Christian school. Billy Hutchinson, Director of Colson Educators with the Colson Center, shares insights and resources.
Stay Informed on ACSI's Events and Resources
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 Reaches Highest Tier Attainable in the Best Christian Workplaces Survey, Earning “Flourishing Status”
The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is proud to announce that it has once again earned “Flourishing Status” through the Best Christian Workplaces Survey.
In a multi-year trend upward, ACSI employees ranked the organization as being the highest tier attainable in the Best Christian Workplaces Survey—a thorough employee engagement survey assessing organizational culture.
The association’s score this year lands in the 83rd percentile, which is 20% higher than in 2023, with areas of strength including high commitment to excellence and effective teamwork. One of the organization’s largest jumps in improvement was helping each other with healthy work/life integration.
ACSI President & CEO Dr. Larry Taylor is thrilled by this great accomplishment.
“At ACSI, our dedication to excellence in serving our communities and partners stems from an unwavering commitment for Jesus Christ,” he said. “This recognition highlights our significant progress in areas where we’ve previously sought improvement, actively incorporating employee feedback into our decision-making processes, and fostering a culture of innovation and exploration. We are enthusiastic about continuing to develop and nurture a thriving workplace environment that exemplifies what it means to be a dynamic and flourishing organization.”
Best Christian Workplaces Consulting Director Cary Humphries is excited about the survey results and is honored to serve as ACSI’s engagement partner.
“ACSI has demonstrated a commitment to regularly measure the health of their workplace culture,” he said. “This year’s actions and survey progress display excellence and the increased opportunity for full engagement of the ACSI team.”
The organization conducted this anonymous survey to all employees in May of 2024 and analyzed the data in June.
ACSI Vice President of Human Resources Chris Loncar looks forward to implementing strategies to address the data specifically regarding areas that present opportunities for growth.
“In recent years, we have targeted lower scoring areas that are representative of where we can improve. We continue to see progress in several of those areas as we make efforts post survey to address areas of employee concern. By doing this, we will continue to affirm our commitment to improving our culture at ACSI,” he shared.
Taylor believes the future of Christian education is bright.
“We deeply appreciate our team’s dedication to ACSI's mission and vision,” he stated. “Their commitment empowers us to shape future leaders who will advance our goals and make a significant impact globally, furthering the reach and influence of Christian education.”
To learn more about the Best Christian Workplaces Certified Workplaces, visit the website at https://workplaces.org/certification. To learn more about ACSI, visit the website at https://www.acsi.org/.
About ACSI:
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 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 advances excellence in Christian schools by enhancing the professional and personal development of Christian educators and providing vital support functions for Christian schools through multiple services including teacher and administrator certification, school accreditation, legal/legislative assistance, and curriculum publishing. Serving more than 25,000 schools in 108 countries, ACSI helps more than 5.5 million students worldwide connect to Christian education.
About Best Christian Workplaces:
Best Christian Workplaces exists to equip and inspire Christian leaders to create an engaged, flourishing workplace. Since 2003, the ministry has surveyed over 1,000 churches, nonprofits, businesses, and educators. Their vision is that Christian-led workplaces set the standard as the best, most effective places to work in the world.
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.
