Bethesda Christian School

My son recently graduated from Bethesda and was a student there since seventh grade. My daughter is a current student and has attended since fourth grade. The school has provided both of my children with exceptional academic preparation, and there is definitely an emphasis on developing Christ-like character.

The reviewer who stated that BCS teachers are not qualified/certified professional teachers is EXTREMELY misinformed--I know because I have personally read synopses of those teacher credentials. All of the elementary teachers to which he/she referred are state certified. A number also hold advanced degrees and additional certifications.

Bethesda's results speaks to the quality of the school. At our little K-12 school, our students are CONSISTENTLY scoring way above the national average on standardized test scores. Our graduating senior classes consistently have higher SAT averages than the national averages for both public AND private schools. My son's class--only 25 kids, half of whom had been at the school since kindergarten--were offered over $4.5 million in scholarships. That is typical for BCS students, and you can't get those kinds of results with poor quality teachers. In my own family, my son has accepted a full tuition scholarship at one of the best public colleges in the state. I believe that the academic program at Bethesda stretched my son and helped him develop the discipline to study, as well as provide him with the instruction he needed to attain that goal.

The last three years my daughter has had freshman teachers. Bethesda's new teachers are fine at disseminating information, but VERY inexperienced in controlling an elementary classroom. BCS does not hire certified teachers who have the minimum level of Education classes and student teaching. The state can't tell you who the excellent teachers are. They only guarantee a minimum proficiency with their certification, but BCS doesn't even have that minimum and it shows. We won't be returning next year.

The academics are rigorous to the point of excess. Even at the elementary level, during the week our nightly routine sounded like "Do your homework. Eat your dinner. Finish your homework. Take your bath. Go to bed." The criticisms that choosing Bethesda is not choosing involvement in extra-curricular activities was true for us. Every night there was homework or reviews - in 4th grade! A kid should be allowed to be a kid.

There is also a student racism at the school. We've taught that in America, diversity comes in all colors, but our child was teased for being different. Because we have downplayed race in our home, living as Americans not people of color, this was the first experience of racism and our child couldn't even identify it - just knew that no one in class was accepting. This is a travesty in a Christian school.