When Pastor Ben Douglass and his wife, Andi, moved to the West Columbus neighborhood of Hilltop, they enrolled their children in the local public school. They were eager to serve the school community and meet other families: however, three years into their public school involvement, the Douglass family began to question their decision. Their neighborhood school ranked among the lowest 1-2% in the state, and their children were falling behind academically, among other challenges. They made the difficult decision to pull their children out and found a Christian school for them to attend over twenty minutes away. But the Douglass family still felt a burden for the students in their Hilltop neighborhood, and began considering how to provide them with better educational opportunities. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy. The Hilltop neighborhood has an average income that is lower than 82.6% of U.S. neighborhoods, and 39.6% of children there are below the federal poverty line.
Ben and Andi, who joined the church plant Faith Community Church in Hilltop, began to explore the idea of starting a neighborhood Christian school. During the COVID pandemic, they had rallied West Side churches by gathering for a prayer walk and creating learning extension centers for students. They decided to reach out to nearby churches yet again to see who was interested in starting a school through a collaborative effort. In the beginning, eight churches, one nonprofit, and four Christian schools were involved in the creation of Westside Christian School, with various levels of involvement. They found a local church to host the school, and moved into Memorial Baptist Church on Eakin Road in the fall of 2022. The church has a gym, multiple classrooms, a playground, and other common areas, making it the perfect location for the school.
Westside Christian school is based on the evangelism model, in which students do not need to come from Christian families in order to attend. The school maintains small class sizes of 18 students or less, and hires spiritually and academically qualified teachers with the intention of preparing students for college education or trades. When the school launched, it offered grades K-2, and has been adding a grade each year, currently serving 73 students in grades K-4. The student population comes from diverse backgrounds, and the school provides breakfast and lunch for the students, in addition to access to a counselor who is available to meet with students two days a week. On Wednesdays, the school gathers for a morning chapel service that includes prayer, worship in song, and Bible teaching.
Pastor Ben does not sugar coat the challenges the school has faced in its first three years. It has been heartbreaking to walk alongside students facing poverty and harsh family situations. Finances are always tight, and he wishes he could pay teachers more. The transportation provided by the public school system has been unreliable and has deterred some families from enrolling. Similar to church planting, launching a school is full of uncertainty. However, the experience has prompted the school’s leaders to heavily rely on Jesus, and as a result, they have seen many answers to prayer. The school achieved a significant milestone when 85% of third graders passed the reading portion of the Ohio State Test, placing it in the top 15% of schools in Ohio.
Next year will offer new opportunities for the school to expand, as it plans to move into Immanuel Baptist Church in the fall of 2025. The goal is to continue adding one grade per year until the school can serve around 160 students in grades K-8. However, the property is in need of improvements in order for the school to move in. Westside Christian is in the process of raising $150,000 to upgrade the restrooms, install a fire alarm system, and build a fence around the playground to improve safety for students.
If you, your church, or organization would like to partner with Westside Christian School and their mission to provide quality education in a loving, Christian environment, please click below to give financially or volunteer.