With enrollment down about nine percent from previous years, Heritage Christian School on Newton Street started the school year Thursday.

 

Again this year, the school – which utilizes standard curriculum, presented with a biblically integrated Christian view – includes classes for preschool through high school.

 

New in the school office is Shelly Fraley, secretary, who said the school is planning to be competitive athletically.

 

“Right now, we have a girls’ volleyball team and we’re interested in getting girls’ and boys’ basketball teams, if we have enough interest,” she said.

 

Consisting of students in 5^th through 8^th grades, those teams compete on the middle school level, she said.

Heritage Christian School is funded through student tuition and fundraisers. The next fundraising event will be a fall carnival, still in the planning stages.

 

Michelle Spurlock’s children Madison and Clay were excited to start 2^nd and 4^th grades, respectively. She continues to be very happy with not only the school’s instruction, but also the family Christian atmosphere.

 

“The school provides great academics with a spiritual emphasis. They learn bible verses every week and they help them apply those bible verses to everyday life,” she said. “And we know everybody like family so that’s another reason I like it too.”

 

Spurlock also appreciates the small class size, which provides more individual attention. Her kids’ own classes have about a dozen students in each classroom. Rules pertaining to classroom activities are a little more lax than public schools and parents are welcome to attend any and all classroom parties and other events, Spurlock said.

 

The school keeps check on education quality and individualized learning by administering achievement tests. Administrator Linda Simms shared last year that those test scores annually reflect positive standards.

 

Built into standard curriculum are art, physical education, computer and music – including band, strings and choir.

 

Heritage Christian School is in the brick building which once housed Bridgeport Junior High and before that, Bridgeport High School.

 

Previously, high school classes were taught via distance learning. Although that method is still utilized, some high school classes are taught in traditional on-site manner, Fraley said.

 

Students continue to wear uniforms, with the exception of weekly casual Fridays, which are granted on a continual basis as long as behavior meets the school’s high standards. Tuition is $325 per month for preschool through 8^th grade with high school tuition $400.