Christian Liberty Academy (CLA) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian school A Christian school is a Parochial school, religious school run on Christianity, Christian principles or by a Christian organization. These schools often include religious education and worship in their curriculum. They may also have a distinct Ch ...

serving about 500 students, located in Arlington Heights,

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The school serves families who live in 69 surrounding cities. CLA has grades preschool through twelfth grade and was founded in 1968 under the auspices of the Church of Christian Liberty. The church provides oversight for the school as one of its ministries, though students and parents are not required to be members or attend the church.

Overview

CLA is accredited by the

Association of Christian Schools International The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), founded in 1978, is an international organization of evangelical Christian schools. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It offers tiers of oversight, from school accredit ...

and the National Association of Private Schools. By choice, it is not a state accredited school, but despite this, it is a member of the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National F ...

."Is Christian Liberty Academy an Accredited School?" - FAQ's
''Christian Liberty Academy''. Retrieved April 28, 2015.

History

Christian Liberty Academy was founded in 1968 in the basement of Prospect Heights, Illinois' Church of Christian Liberty."History"
''Christian Liberty Academy''. Retrieved June 18, 2021. Its first year, about 60 children attended. According to the school's official website, the school was founded "as the result of the dissatisfaction of the church with government education and the desire for Christian education." The original headmaster was Paul Lindstrom. At first, only classes for

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through ninth grade were provided, however, within three years, the school also opened to

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

-age students. The school quickly became too large for its location; in 1985, the school was moved to the former location of Arlington High School. A satellite school was established in

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Wauwatosa ( ; colloquially Tosa) is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 48,387 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Wauwatosa is a suburb located immediately west of Milwaukee and is part of the Milwa ...

in 1970.Janka, Rick (March 16, 1977)
"Pupils Toe The Line at Liberty Academy"
''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...

''. Retrieved April 25, 2015. The first headmaster was John H. Vouga. The school moved to larger quarters in

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city in eastern Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 41,464 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Brookfield and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. History Brookfield i ...

in the fall of 1972. It ceased operations in 1989.

Notable alumni

Rachel Dolezal Nkechi Amare Diallo (born Rachel Anne Dolezal; November 12, 1977) is an American former college instructor and activist known for presenting herself as a black woman, while also being born to white parents. Dolezal was president of the NAACP cha ...

(1996), activist

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Christian schools in Illinois Educational institutions established in 1968 Private middle schools in Illinois Private elementary schools in Illinois Private high schools in Cook County, Illinois Private high schools in Illinois Schools in Arlington Heights, Illinois 1968 establishments in Illinois