The importance of education is not lost on any parent. By selecting the right learning environment, parents allow more opportunity for their children to grow and develop inside and outside of the classroom. For many, the private school experience is the perfect way to solidify a child’s educational foundation. It provides children with invaluable tools that help prepare them for life’s challenges. Smaller class sizes, individualized attention and a sense of community are some of the tangible benefits that come along with private education.

One private school that has built a culture centered on a love for God and developing great learners is The Christ School (TCS). Located downtown and serving over 400 K-8th grade students from across Central Florida, the school opened its doors in 1996. TCS has earned accreditation from the Florida Council of Independent Schools and the Council for Educational Standards and Accountability. TCS is also honored to be the recipient of the Golden Brick Award for Excellence in Education awarded by the city of Orlando. As students thrive in an engaging and project-based learning environment, the school is flourishing, seeing a 23% increase in enrollment recently.

Having just embarked on his fifth year as Head of School, Dr. Aaron Farrant says it all starts with the school’s core focus on what they have identified as the 4 C’s of education: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creative problem solving.

“We understand we cannot predict all the content knowledge our students will need to know 10-to-20 years from now, but there are certain skills that will be vital for their success. In a world where access to information is getting easier and easier, a person’s ability to not just know the right answer, but be able to decide on the best answer, will be crucial,” Dr. Farrant says.

The process begins in the kindergarten classroom and is reaffirmed as students matriculate through the higher grade levels. “We have a skills progression trajectory where we build on skills to ensure our students graduate prepared,” Dr. Farrant explains. “We explicitly teach each skill and then create the development loop of practice, quality feedback and practice again.”

The Christ School offers an array of wonderful and unique programs that expand a child’s development beyond the traditional classroom. Those who may struggle with their studies can find plenty of available academic support, while those looking for more of a challenge will find enrichment offerings to help them excel with advanced concepts.  The Christ School’s distinctive STEAM Lab allows for extensive, hands-on learning to help deepen their students’ passion for exploration. The school also offers a very specialized program called The Bridge that serves students with dyslexia. The Bridge aims to help close the gap between academic performance and student potential while boosting self-confidence.

“Over the past several years we have continued to grow in our ability to meet the needs of our students, and have fine-tuned our academic programs to better serve our families. These programs have been wonderful additions to our school and allowed us to serve the unique learning styles of our students,” says Dr. Farrant.

In addition to academics, The Christ School places great importance on social and community engagement. The school focuses on helping students understand the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the result is students who desire to help others and glorify God. 

“We focus on the development of the whole child,” says Dr. Farrant. “We support them as they develop academically, athletically, artistically, socially and spiritually.”

With that level of love and support, it’s no wonder there is such a strong bond between students, teachers, parents and school officials. That close-knit community is especially meaningful to Dr. Farrant, citing the lifelong connections regularly made on campus.

“It is amazing to talk to parents of alumni as they share about the friendships that were formed at TCS and how the school became their extended family as their children were growing up. And the alumni share how, even after high school and college, they still consider their TCS classmates some of their best friends.” Dr. Farrant continues, “We support each other during the high and low times of life as we strive to live out the type of community God created us to be.”

The Christ School
106 E. Church St.
Orlando
(407) 849-1665
TheChristSchool.org