A new Christian private school is set to open with new digs in Airdrie's downtown next September.
Come September, Cornerstone Christian School (CCS) will be offering K-10 classes from a portable classroom behind Lutheran Church of the Master, according to the school's founder, Lori Ferguson.
Ferguson said she's operated CCS for eight of the last 11 years out of her home. She said the decision to move CCS from her home to a new facility is due to her recent partnership with Roxanne Thomas, another Airdronian who previously offered Christian-based private preschool and kindergarten out of her home. Ferguson said the amalgamation resulted in a tripling of students and the requirement for a larger space.
“I had to turn away more students last fall than I could take,” she said.
“Especially since COVID, home-school pods have become more popular, but I’ve been doing mine since 2011.”
The new facility will be able to accommodate up to 25 students, according to Ferguson. She said CCS will accept students from kindergarten to Grade 10 next year, with plans of expanding to Grade 11 and 12 by the fall of 2024.
CCS offers “Christ-based” curriculum, Ferguson said, although lessons are still in line with the curricular requirements of Alberta Education.
“We use Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum, which is considered Alberta Education curriculum because it contains everything Alberta Ed has, plus more,” she said.
The benefit of what CCS provides, Ferguson said, is the opportunity for students to learn at their own pace, regardless of their age or grade level. A child who is a fast learner doesn't have to wait for any colleagues to catch up, whereas a child who needs more time to grasp a concept doesn't have to feel rushed or like they need to keep up with the rest of the class.
“ACE curriculum is individualized and mastery-based,” she explained. “Each student starts where they’re at in each subject regardless of their chronological age. We do an academic diagnostic and start them in each subject exactly where they are, and then they progress successfully from there.”
Tuition for CCS is $400 per month for a single student, or $3,600 a year. Ferguson noted discounts are available when there are multiple children enrolled from the same family.
Similar to a traditional public or Catholic school, the CCS calendar runs from September to June, and the school day is in session from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
There's currently no deadline for registering for the 2023-24 school year, but Ferguson reiterated the capacity is only 25 students and they are already close to half full.
“Space will go quickly,” she said.
