About US
A Private, Christian School in Holland, Michigan Offering A Charlotte Mason Education
Since 1978
On September 11, 1978, the vision became a reality as Calvary Schools opened for its first year of operation as a private Christian school in Holland, Michigan. The Lamse Building on East 8th Street in Holland, Michigan was our first home with 130 students from 4-year-old kindergarten through 12th grade.
By the second semester of that first year, enrollment exceeded the capacities of the Lamse Building, so in 1980, the school acquired the Montello Park School on Plasman Avenue which is now home to our elementary school.
A brand new middle and high school facility was completed in 2007 and is now home to our 6th through 12th graders who enjoy access to 40 acres with multiple fields, nature trail, adjoining creek, and recreational and athletic facilities. Classrooms are organized around a large common area to encourage relationship-building throughout the day.
The intentional development of authentic Christian character was formalized more distinctly in 2014 in our elementary and middle schools with the adoption of the educational philosophy of Charlotte M. Mason, through partnership with Ambleside Schools International. Therefore, Calvary Schools is also an Ambleside member school. The success of this approach led us to extend this educational pedagogy throughout all grades in 2021.
A “living education,” shaped by the principles of world-renowned educator Charlotte M. Mason, invites children into a relationship with knowledge. A positive relationship with learning is fed by their natural curiosity and fostered to pursue growth through good habits and individual ownership of the learning process.
Since 1978, Calvary Schools of Holland has been known throughout the Holland, Michigan community as a family-friendly private Christian school. In more recent years, that reputation has grown to reflect the distinctive quality of a Charlotte Mason education, as one of only two schools in the state of Michigan to offer this comprehensive educational model.
Calvary is a tight-knit community, and our students thrive in the safety of an environment where they are not just another face in the crowd. Our students are known, loved, and offered intentional opportunities to discover their unique place in the world.
Accreditation and Affiliation
Calvary Schools of Holland is a private Christian school fully accredited via our Ambleside membership by Accreditation International (AI) and the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA), both of which acknowledge Charlotte Mason pedagogy as a proven approach to education.
Calvary’s teachers, our model of education, and our curriculum are thoroughly evaluated. Evaluations for student growth include annual standardized tests like the ERB CTP 5, SAT, and ACT. Our elementary, middle school, and high school programs model the method, philosophy, and curriculum of Ambleside Schools International. All Calvary faculty and staff are dedicated to a lifetime of learning and development through ongoing academic growth, discipleship and professional opportunities.
In 2023, Calvary became a certified Arrowsmith Program Provider for students with certain brain differences.
We maintain relationships with over forty churches in the Greater Holland community, as well as local organizations such as Vista Springs Assisted Living, Benjamin’s Hope, Fellinlove Farm, and The Tulip Time Festival.