OUR STORY
First Presbyterian Christian School (FPCS), founded in 1981, has provided quality education in the heart of Spokane for over 40 years. The school initially opened as a preschool for three and four year olds and has steadily grown over the years to become a Washington State approved elementary school as well. We currently offer classes for students from three years old to 6th grade. There are 125 preschool students enrolled at our school and around 60 elementary students. The mission of FPCS is to provide a warm, loving, Christ-centered environment where children are encouraged to grow physically, academically, socially, spiritually, and artistically. Our school mission statement is “Developing life-long learners who are grounded in the joy of the Lord and the values of His kingdom.” We have outstanding teachers and staff committed to live out this mission statement as they support and educate each child.
In order to meet the developmental needs to each student, FPCS uses a personalized approach to learning. We maintain small class sizes to meet the needs of each individual student. The child-teacher ratio in each preschool class is 12:1 and the ratio in the elementary classes is approximately 15:1. Each class has a teaching assistant for part of the day to work with small groups of students or help the teacher with administrative tasks. Another example of our personalized approach is the support staff at our school. We have an intervention teacher that works one on one with students that need extra academic help and we are in the process of hiring a school counselor to reach students that need emotional support.
We seek to include families from all socioeconomic situations. In order to do this, we offer tuition assistance which we fund through annual fundraisers, church contributions, and a portion of the general budget.
FPCS is located on the lower level of First Presbyterian Church (FPC) in downtown Spokane. The school is a ministry of the church and the church supports the school in numerous ways—scholarships, building use, construction and repairs, technology support, and administrative guidance. The school staff and the church staff are constantly communicating as we run our programs alongside each other. The monthly chapel times that take place are an example of the rich connection between the school and church. Once a month the students spend time in the sanctuary singing songs about Jesus and hearing a message from a pastor or staff member. There are other seasonal and special events that bridge the school and church together on a routine basis.
We strive to love and serve the students and families in our care to the best of our ability.
F
irst Presbyterian Christian School has been a Washington State Approved Private school since 2009.