Valley Christian Schools (Los Angeles County, California)

Valley Christian Schools
Address
10818 Artesia Blvd (administration building) Cerritos , Los Angeles County , California 90703 United States
Information
School type	Private, Christian
Motto	Equip & Inspire
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian
Denomination	Protestant
Founded	1935
NCES School ID	BB060123
Grades	PK-12
Gender	coeducational
Enrollment	600 (2014-15^[needs update])
Average class size	21 students
Area	33 acres
Campus type	small city
Color(s)	Maroon and Gold
Athletics conference	Olympic League
Team name	Defenders
Accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Annual tuition	11,640 (9-11) 11,880 (12)
Affiliation	Christian Schools International (CSI) Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
Website	www.vcschools.org

Valley Christian Schools (VCS) is a private Christian K-12 school located in Los Angeles County, California. It is one of the largest in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. It was founded in 1935 and has 4 campuses (preschool, elementary, middle and high school) enrolling more than 1,300 students.[1] The administration building and the middle and high school campuses are in Cerritos while the preschool and elementary campuses are in two separate sections in Bellflower.[2]

In 2011, during its accreditation reviews, it received the highest degree of commendation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.[3][4] Valley Christian Schools is a member of Christian Schools International (CSI) and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

Academics

97% of VCHS graduates continue on to college.[5] VCHS graduates who are accepted to University of California schools have the highest SAT scores of any Protestant, Catholic, or Lutheran high school in L.A. and Orange County.[6][7]

In 2013 VCHS students had an 81% pass rate (3 or higher) on AP exams compared to a National average of 58%.[8]

Valley Christian offers 20 AP and Honors courses.[5]

Athletics

Valley Christian is current a member of the Olympic League of the CIF Southern Section. VCHS teams have won 200 league championships and 30 CIF state titles (and another three state runners-up).[5] In 2011 the soccer team was ranked by USA Today as the #1 team in America.[9] Nearly 60% of students participate in school athletics. The Girls Volleyball team has won a national championship.[10]

Notable alumni

• John Verhoeven (Class of 1971) - Former Major League Baseball pitcher and head baseball coach at Biola University
• Greg Laswell (Class of 1992) - musician
• Kirk Saarloos (Class of 1997) - Former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros, Oakland A's, and Cincinnati Reds
• Arthur Chu (Class of 2002)[11] - Class valedictorian, Jeopardy! contestant in from January 28, 2014 – March 12, 2014. Third-ranked Jeopardy champion of all time both in wins and money won.[12]
• Beau Bennett (Class of 2010, transferred out) - National Hockey League forward for the St. Louis Blues. Highest-drafted Californian born-and-trained player in NHL history, and first California born-and-trained player to become a Stanley Cup Champion (2016).[13]
• Kennedy Wesley (Class of 2019) - soccer player[14]
• Troy Van Leeuwen (Class of 1986) - Musician

References

1. "Who We Are". Valley Christian Schools. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
2. "Contact". Valley Christian Schools. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
3. "About VCS". Valley Christian Schools. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
4. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). "Valley Christian High School". Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
5. "Valley Christian Schools: High School". Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
6. http://usaother.ucop.edu/cgi-bin/awpe/results.pl^[dead link‍]
7. "Valley Christian High School". Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
8. "VCHS Excels at Academics" (PDF). Valley Christian Schools. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
9. "Valley Christian Schools: Crusader History". Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
10. "Valley Christian Schools: High School Athletics". Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
11. Brill, Jason (April 18, 2014). "Arthur Chu". Cleveland. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
12. "Most Jeopardy Wins / Biggest Jeopardy Winners list". February 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
13. "Beau Bennett Stats and News". NHL. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2022. ...the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2016. At that moment, Bennett became not only the first California-born-and-trained player to win the Cup,...
14. "Kennedy Wesley - Women's Soccer 2023". Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website.

External links

• Valley Christian High School website

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