History

Spa Christian School was founded in 1981 by representatives from four evangelical churches. The original Board was made up of the pastors from those churches and other interested people. For the first year we ran a kindergarten of eight students in a church basement in Ballston Spa. The following year we joined with an already existing ACE school at a church in Saratoga Springs and became a K-6 school with three classes (K, 1-2, 3-6.) We stayed in that building for five years until there was no more classroom space.

The early years were a bit stormy due to a number of vocal parents with differing philosophies. New York State does not require non-public schools to hire state certified teachers and had only general recommendations as to what was to be taught. Thankfully the original Board had seen fit to put into writing their convictions and expectations, and the school remained sound.

In 1987, Hope Church, one of our original supporting churches, made plans to build an addition. They had been very supportive of our ministry for several years and planned their educational wing to include seven classroom of adequate size to house our school. By 1991 we had one class of each grade with none combined. In 1996 we attempted, after numerous requests by many parents, to run a junior high. This met with moderate success in academics and only very minimal success in other necessary aspects of junior high education (social, emotional, etc.) We are convicted to stay as an elementary school and to keep our distinctives.

Ballston Spa is a rural village near Saratoga Springs. The history of our area includes Iroquois Indians who roamed these lands for many years and several chapters from the Revolutionary War. Bubbly water comes up in the geysers nearby, which made this a popular health resort in the early 1900s. We are situated in the foothills of the lovely Adirondack Mountains, near the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, but we are also in an area rich in culture, being half an hour from Albany, our state capital, and with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in the next town.

Our foundation is the Word of God, and our intent is to offer a Christian education to children of believing families. We require parents to sign a statement of faith and we interview them as to their church involvement, to ensure that families are actively walking with God. We believe that a Christian education can be presented using any curricular materials, but only through believing teachers who are at the heart of the integration process.

One distinctive that our graduates really miss after leaving is the morning worship time. Every day the whole school gathers for fifteen minutes of praise and worship to our God. We also have each child take a turn at reading a scripture verse and leading the pledges to the flags. Many parents also join us when they are available. Another strength is the longevity of many of our teachers; half our staff has been here at Spa Christian for over fifteen years.

We have always emphasized parent involvement. Many parents volunteer weekly or on an occasional basis for various programs which benefit the students, both in and out of the classroom. It is the parents who have provided the equipment for our playground. They have also conducted the fundraisers which have brought in many computer resources, games, educational toys, and library books which help to provide more adequately for our students.

Currently there are about thirty-five evangelical churches represented among our school families. The staff also attend many different denominations, and we have an unusually harmonious relationship among us. God has been good and blesses us as we have prayed together each day.