Private Education Awards 2026 | 21 additional learning opportunities in Computer, Music, Library, and Physical Education throughout the year. “Academic life at Pacific Christian School is rigorous, focusing on internal development, cognition, and higher-level thinking skills.” Students learn to read as early as kindergarten as Pacific Christian School, being taught phonetic awareness, sight words, word attack skills, and more. The Accelerated Reader programme provides baseline Lexile levels whilst its Library and Media Centre enables students to access appropriate-level reading books and assess their comprehension. Benchmark goals are set for every student during the year, and many students are reported to improve by up to two grade levels over a tenmonth period. Mathematically, students receive grade-level mathematics instructions from first grade and, with the help of Moby Max, accelerate towards gradelevel standards and beyond. Achievement is tracked with baseline scores each year, with benchmark testing every quarter. All students are given the opportunity to complete Geometry before graduating eighth grade. Educational materials – such as textbooks, workbooks, and other curricular materials for all subjects – are provided by Christian publisher BJU Press. Embedded with a Christian worldview perspective, BJU Press’s materials challenge students to think beyond the obvious through inductive reasoning. Beyond the classroom, outstanding extracurricular programmes are offered to promote a balanced education, enabling students to discover their passions, interests, and talents. Children are given numerous opportunities to explore STEM, music, physical education, and technology to enrich their learning experience. Furthermore, additional cocurricular activities are offered to support academic life, including Robotics, Spelling Bee, Speech Meets, Science Fairs, Math Olympics, Million Word Club, Walk-thru Programme, California History Day, and more. Homework is moderate, never exceeding ten minutes for every grade level the child has completed, for example, 30 minutes for third graders. “Research has demonstrated repeatedly that increased homework times do not lead to increased achievement,” Rick explained. “Homework is good for developing good study habits, discipline, and reinforcement.” This exceptional educational offering is paired with a family-friendly community that ties the experience together. Pacific Christian School offers students a safe, campus-based setting to learn and play, allowing them to grow alongside friends in a place where like-minded values reinforce the important lessons being taught at home. Ultimately, Pacific Christian School has demonstrated that spiritual transformation, academic excellence, physical development, and social responsibility go hand-in-hand, delivering a comprehensive education in a Christ-centred environment. The school successfully prepares its students for the entirety of their academic career and beyond, ensuring that each child leaves its care with a sturdy foundation of knowledge, faith, self-belief, future prosperity. Contact: Rick White Company: Pacific Christian School Web Address: www.pacificchristianschool.net Located in the County of Santa Barbara, on the border of Santa Maria and Orcutt, Pacific Christian School is a private school dedicated to facilitating spiritual transformation through a Bible-based education. The school has earned recognition in the Private Education Awards 2026, applauded for providing students with a solid academic foundation and a secure setting to grow and thrive. We heard more from Principal Rick White below. Faith-Based K-12 Independent School of the Year 2026 – California “In order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3) Pacific Christian School has been providing an exceptional, faith-based Christian education to families across the Santa Maria Valley since the 1980s. On a mission to provide educational excellence in a Christcentred environment, the school is fully accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and The Schools Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). At its core, Pacific Christian School strives to provide a setting that nurtures students into becoming all that God has created them to be. The school believes that spiritual, social, emotional, and physical development are equally important to academic achievement and educational excellence, and aims to provide a comprehensive educational pathway that creates well-rounded and balanced students. Sitting on a 12 to 13 acre property, Pacific Christian School has an average class size of 25 students and can enrol up to 30 students per class. The coeducational school offers a strong academic programme that comprises daily instruction in Bible, English and Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Children are also offered “Reaching the Heart, Teaching the Mind.”
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