By Samantha Finglass
For a number of years, Brazos Christian School has had a waiting list three years out for families looking to enroll their children in pre-K and kindergarten classes. In addition to this high demand from new families, their current upper-level students were attending class in portable buildings. These two factors led Brazos Christian School to open a new building large enough to accommodate both current students and future growth without having to sacrifice the quality of education they provide.
Brazos Christian School aims to provide the best possible education in an environment that cultivates spiritual growth, says Jeff McMaster, Ph.D., headmaster at Brazos Christian School. The high demand for enrollment is accredited to the inclusion of Christian values in the educational experience. “There are places around here where you can get a good education,” says McMaster. “Here you can get as good of an education, but purposefully in a Christian context.”
Prior to the expansion of the new building, eight portable buildings were nestled on campus to host upper level classes, as Brazos Christian School had outgrown their current permanent buildings. “It was time for us to move from temporary structure to permanent buildings to provide excellence for our students and families,” says McMaster. After 10 years, portables, which were intended to be temporary, are no longer considered temporary, he explains.
Additionally, Brazos Christian School has an extensive waiting list at every grade level. “The picture [the waiting list] gives me is that we have lots of families that would be great fits here, but we don’t have the space to meet that need,” says McMaster. Although the school wants to accommodate the demand, they want to make sure they are careful that they do not take on too much too quickly, says McMaster.
To meet these two needs, the school opened a new building just before Christmas break in 2018. Featuring a large library, three fully functional science labs, and classrooms to hold all of the junior and senior high courses, the new building provides much needed space. In addition to the immediate benefit to current students, the new building will allow the school to add an additional fourth grade class for the upcoming school year, says McMaster.
“The end result is that we have the capacity to grow 50 percent larger,” says McMaster. The new building gives Brazos Christian School the space to move their upper level classes into, which then opens up older classrooms to accommodate new students, says McMaster. By adding one class per grade level gradually, Brazos Christian School can ensure their growth is healthy, he explains.
Maintaining their quality of academic program is a high priority throughout the Brazos Christian School experience, including through this growth period. In the last five years, 100 percent of graduates of the college-prep school were accepted to college, with 60 percent being accepted to Texas A&M University, says McMaster. He adds, Brazos Christian School students’ performance on standardized testing has been consistently well above the national average. Slow growth allows the school to sustain their high standards and opportunities. “Even though we are a small private school, we have a very well-rounded opportunity,” says McMaster.
For more information about Brazos Christian School or their admissions process, call (979) 823-1000 or visit www.bcseagles.org.
