New Year Update
By Head of School Michael Dewey
It has become an annual tradition to start off each year talking about some major milestones we have reached in our school’s history. Each prior milestone has represented the confirmation that Evergreen Christian School is truly a work of God. Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” While the context of this verse indicates that Paul is speaking primarily about our salvation and sanctification in Christ, you can be sure that it reveals an important truth about our Lord: whatever God ordains, he guarantees. That means if God calls you to do something, you can be certain that he will provide everything needed to make it come to fruition. I am convinced that God ordained the establishment of this school. He alone is responsible for giving us the vision for this school and calling us to fulfill the mission of raising up the next generation of Christian leaders. The proof of this is in how he has miraculously provided every step of the way. When the odds were stacked against us, and the so-called experts told us it couldn’t be done, God made it happen!
Well, with the start of the 2025–2026 school year, Evergreen Christian has attained its most significant milestone ever—and yet another reminder of God’s faithfulness. Our official enrollment on day one was exactly 200 students! Not only did this surpass our target enrollment of 195, but it also signified that we have reached capacity enrollment. Initial estimates of our maximum capacity were 250, with a breakdown of 220 students and 30 faculty/staff. However, this estimate was revised last year using industry standards to set our true maximum capacity for students at 200. Ideally, that would mean 50 students in each grade level, but we are able to accommodate up to 54 with the number of class sections we planned this year. While we still have room for an additional student here or there, many of our classes are closed to new students and wait lists are in effect.
But maximum capacity is not the only major milestone we have achieved with this new year. We officially have the largest freshman, junior, and senior classes. In fact, our junior class represents the largest single grade level in our school’s history with a whopping 55. But wait, there’s more! This year’s student body represents the most diverse group of students we have ever had with one out of every four students identifying as Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or Native American. This means we are moving closer to reflecting the current demographics for our region. Seventy-one of our current students are new to ECS, which means that a third of our student body is experiencing our school for the first time ever. What I find particularly remarkable is that 94.8% of students in last year’s 9th through 11th grades have returned for this year. That represents our highest retention rate ever. God is good!
If all of these milestones have you wondering what’s next, then stay tuned. Our School-wide Improvement Plan will be released at the end of October with information about where we see ourselves in the next three to five years.