Our History
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.
Over the next two decades, God continued to bless with increased growth, and the school stretched to embrace new opportunities and adjust to its accompanying growing pains.
In 1996, the school board began a clarification of our mission and development of our core values to guide our future direction. The mission of “building Christian character and training servant leadership” was immediately implemented in the development of an intentional discipleship program. The school is continually evaluating and refining this mission-critical area.
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. The success of this program 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 the only school in the state of Michigan to offer this comprehensive educational model.
The Calvary community is a family, 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 personalized opportunities to discover their unique place in the world.
Accreditation and Affiliation
Calvary Schools of Holland is a private Christian school fully accredited by ACSI and NCA. Calvary’s teachers are constantly evaluating themselves and our curriculum through 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.
We collaborate with over forty churches in the Greater Holland community, as well as leading ministries such as Winning At Home, Holland Rescue Mission, Compassionate Heart Ministry and Africa’s Child.
NOTICE OF
NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY
AS TO STUDENTS
Calvary Schools of Holland admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.