These are the schools Bright Promise Fund serves—schools that serve their communities and the city of Chicagoland by equipping over 3,000 students to excel in their educational studies and fulfill their individual calling as a child of Christ.
*All enrollment numbers on this page accurate as of Winter 2020/21.
Click on the map markers to see more information. Click a map markers or school name to jump to that listing. Otherwise, scroll down to browse all schools alphabetically.
Calvary Academy
Cambridge Classical Academy
Calvin Christian School
Chicago West Side Christian School
Cornerstone Academy
Daystar Academy, an IB World School
The Field School
Lansing Christian School
Midwestern Christian Academy
New Life Celebration Christian Academy
Pui Tak Christian School
Southwest Chicago Christian School
Unity Christian Academy
16300 S. State Street
South Holland IL 60473
(708) 333-5471
calvary-academy.com
Calvary Academy is a private Christian school with the mission of challenging its students to know Christ as Lord, teaching them to know and apply biblical truth, and training them to pursue academic excellence in order that they may engage and transform their world for Jesus Christ.
Established 1970 | Current enrollment: 272 (K-8), 120 (Preschool)
Calvary Academy’s teaching staff are ACSI licensed and hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, with many holding master’s degrees. Our school is committed to academic excellence, but also recognizes the importance of a well-rounded education. Our facilities include 18 classrooms, 3 computer labs, a library, an art room, a music room, a band room, and a science laboratory. The campus also features a gymnasium, locker rooms, and athletic fields.
Calvary Academy offers art in grades K-8, general music, focusing on appreciation, notation, performance, and creativity in grades K-4, and three different bands in grades 5-8. Our athletic program is a member of a conference of CSI schools in our area, providing an opportunity for quality competition. In grades 5-8 students have the opportunity to participate in soccer, volleyball, basketball, cheerleading and track.
The school has served parents and students for over 50 years. Calvary Academy is both ACSI accredited and ISBE recognized and serves Kindergarten through 8th grade.
4650 S. Dearborn
Chicago IL 60609
(773)-891-5130
cambridgeclassicalacademy.org
Cambridge Classical Academy is a Christ-centered independent school that seeks to provide students with a rigorous, classical education that will prepare them for the world that awaits them, teaching them how to think, and encouraging them to know and understand the heart of God. “The aim of our charge is love that issues a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Psalm 51:10
Established 2017 | Current Enrollment: 40
Cambridge Classical Academy (CCA) was founded July 27, 2017 for students who would change the world. Our mission has always been to provide students with the tools for success through classical education. Classically educated students are afforded a long tradition of truth-seeking instruction of key subjects such as liberal arts, history, mathematics, and science. We encourage our students to solve problems that are similar to those they may face in the world. CCA uses the unique approach of classical education to teach students how to think critically and holistically. We are able to accomplish this by addressing the needs of each individual child; meeting each child exactly where they are.
CCA is in a great location. But even with tuition assistance, many families from the community cannot afford tuition. We know that children in the community would greatly benefit from a classical education if they could afford it. A CCA education could ultimately change the trajectory of their lives.
528 E. 161st Street
South Holland IL 60473
(708) 331-5027
calvinschool.org
Calvin Christian School exists to educate God's children to boldly follow Christ for Kingdom service.
Established 1912 | Current Enrollment: 223
For over 100 years, God has been calling a diverse community of Christians together in South Holland. Calvin has been doing this since 1912. Over 200 students come to Calvin everyday from 27 communities around South Holland, including the city of Chicago.
In addition to a full academic, athletic, art, music and foreign language program, Calvin offers students opportunities to explore broadcasting, worship leadership, novel writing, chess and coding. We are grateful for the staff and volunteers that help make a rich education happen at Calvin. Committed to connecting faith and learning, CCS strives to help students understand that this beautiful, intricate and broken world is a place our Heavenly Father has called us to explore and delight and restore.
Calvin serves preschool through 8th grade and we enjoy that our faith is something welcome everywhere at the school. It is evident in how we learn, discuss, discipline, create, worship, celebrate, compete, and perform. Each can be seen as acts of worship – to God be the glory!
1240 S. Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60623
(773) 543-0663
cwscs.org
Chicago West Side Christian School’s mission is to engage children in dynamic Christian education that nurtures and challenges them to develop intellectually, spiritually, socially, emotionally, and creatively so they are equipped to lead and serve as Christians in the world.
Established 1969 | 154 Enrolled
Chicago West Side Christian School serves children from preschool through eighth grade in the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicago's west side. The school seeks to ignite curiosity, character and community in its students as it fulfills its mission to equip them to lead and serve as Christians in the world. Students participate in engaging academics that include hands-on experiences in their classrooms, excursions in the city and extended trips to provide learning connections with their studies. They develop a strong sense of community in their classrooms and through multi-age educational and social activities. Their faith is shaped by classroom Bible study, shared worship time, integration of faith into all of learning and mentoring by dedicated staff.
We currently have over 150 students enrolled in grades Pre-K through 8th. With over 50 years of Christian education, the school holds the distinction of being one of the most diverse elementary schools in the North Lawndale neighborhood, with 82% African American, 7% Caucasian, 4% Latino and 7% two or more races.
607 Harvard Street
Oak Park, IL 60304
(312) 600-0953
cornerstonechicago.org
Cornerstone Academy exists to provide students who need it, with an intentionally small Christian high school experience designed to provide them a personalized and comprehensive education leading towards a diploma, a Christian moral code, and tools for self-sufficiency.
Established 1994 | Current Enrollment: 16
Cornerstone Academy each year serves the educational needs of a small group of students whose needs are not being met by other, typically larger and more traditional schools in the Chicago area. Through a system of donors and a work study program, which partners with local businesses, the school is able to offer tuition on a sliding scale. In this way, CSA is able to provide quality education to students from a diverse economic base. Each year, CSA serves students between the 9 - 12 grades. Most of the students who attend CSA have attended other high schools which were not able to meet their needs. CSA provides a low teacher-student ratio, allowing the needs of each student to be met in individual ways.
1550 S. State Street
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 791-0001
daystaracademy.org
Daystar Academy empowers students to positively impact the world through a faith-based, culturally-engaged, globally-minded education. As an International Baccalaureate school, Daystar students have a global perspective of learning, striving to understand their role in the world around them. This, combined with Daystar’s lens of faith, which teaches that students are loved by God and should love others, results in students who become adults the world needs, excelling in academic, social, and emotional learning.
Established 1997 | Current Enrollment: 249
In 1997, a group of entrepreneurs and educators came together with the idea of starting a faith-based school that offered an excellent education in the heart of Chicago. We are glad that they dreamed big! While many things have changed since that original idea, our core values have stayed the same. We have always been deliberate about diversity. We pursue it because we believe a diverse classroom is the best learning environment. We are a faith-based school that takes seriously the integration of faith and learning. Our staff strives to demonstrate to each child that they are loved and cared for by God. We believe that as children get older they begin to understand what faith means to them and what it means for how they interact with the world around them.
Our teachers continue to develop new ways to enable students to take hold of their learning through hands-on activities, project-based learning, and real world learning. The International Baccalaureate affiliation allows Daystar to offer this globally-recognized curricular framework, excellent education, to all grades, but in particular a highly respected and sought-after diploma by college admissions officers.
535 N. Parkside Ave.
Chicago, IL 60644
(708) 434-5811
thefieldschool.org
The Field School is a diverse, classical school on the West Side of Chicago that aims to feed the hearts and minds of children through rigorous study rooted in a Christ-centered environment.
Established 2017 | Current Enrollment: 259
Established in 2017 with 45 students, The Field School has grown to serve over 250 students from Pre-K through 8th grade. We intentionally cultivate a racially and socioeconomically diverse community by reserving half our seats for students from low-income families.
In low-tech classrooms and the outdoors, students go mind-to-mind with the greatest thinkers, artists, and leaders from across cultures and time, studying rich content that has persisted throughout the centuries. Our approach is holistic, guiding students toward intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual formation that lay the foundation for lifelong learning, service to others, and glory to God.
3660 Randolph Street
Lansing IL 60438
(708) 474-1700
lansingchristian.org
We learn and grow together in excellence to prepare our students to do their work in this world for the Glory of God.
Established 1907 | Current Enrollment: 105
Lansing Christian School has been partnering with Christian families to point our kids toward Christ in all areas of life since 1907. We strive to create a family atmosphere where students are known and learning can thrive.
The school has a Spanish immersion program for students from English speaking families where all instruction is in Spanish. The goal is for students to become fluent in both English and Spanish. We also have a thriving STEM program through Project Lead the Way in grades K-5.
3465 N. Cicero Avenue
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 685-1106
www.mca.school
Midwestern Christian Academy’s mission is to make the connection between Biblical truth revealed by God and the knowledge and skills students learn to equip them for life.
Established 1935 | Current Enrollment: 205
Midwestern Christian Academy opened its doors as a ministry vision of Chicago’s Midwest Bible Church 65 years ago. Since that time it has been a school driven by its mission. We offer a distinctively Christian educational philosophy to our families, believing that our purpose is to support and undergird the family and church as students are equipped with an education that includes instruction for the child’s spiritual life as well as their intellect. We currently have 140 students enrolled.
We offer instruction for students from Junior Kindergarten age 3 to eighth grade. Upon graduation, our students are welcomed into a variety of local high schools, including some CPS selective enrollment schools, private Christian schools, Charter schools and other specialty academies. The academic and spiritual preparation students have received at MCA is a distinct advantage to their learning experience.
MCA operates from an Evangelical Christian perspective and is non-denominational, compatible with a wide variety of church backgrounds. We have been in ministry for over 65 years, with more than 40 local congregations represented in the student body.
14243 S. Dante Avenue
Dolton IL 60419
(708) 849-2787
newlifecelebrationcog.org
It is the mission of New Life Celebration Christian Academy to prepare students to successfully master the issues and the realities of life by developing their Academic, Social, and Spiritual potential, all from the foundation of the Word of God.
New Life Celebration Christian Academy has high spiritual and academic standards, that include the development of the whole person spiritually, mentally, socially, physically and emotionally. The school is consistent with its approach to spiritual matters as well as its alignment with New Life Celebration Church of God. The Philosophy of NLCCA is based on these concepts:
Children thrive in a nurturing environment which promotes a positive attitude towards God, Self, and Learning.
Learning is an active process, involving both physical and mental interaction with the learning environment.
Children fully understand and remember what they have learned when information is meaningful to them in the context of their experiences and development.
The development of the whole child must include activities which enhance spiritual, physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, personal, and creative growth.
All children can be successful and should be provided opportunities to experience success.
Racial, ethnic, and cultural differences enhance the learning environment and provide opportunities to learn about one’s own cultural heritage and tradition as well as those of other ethnic groups.
2301 S. Wentworth Avenue
Chicago, IL 60616
312-328-1188
puitakschool.org
Pui Tak Christian School is dedicated to preparing students academically and spiritually to become future leaders for God’s Kingdom. We want to see children rise to their potential and succeed in all spheres of life with joy and strength of character.
Our children learn to positively engage the world, guided by compassionate, invested teachers who nurture students to achieve academic excellence with a curriculum built on global perspectives and balanced, Christ-centered education. We are molding faith-based, modern thinkers in a place that feels like home.
Established 1953 | Current enrollment: 110
Pui Tak Christian School (PTCS) is a unique Christian preschool and elementary located in the heart of the inner-city of Chicago. PTCS is one of only a few Christian private schools in the nation, and the only one in the Midwest, that accommodates the Chinese American and Chinese immigrant population through staff that provides bilingual family communications and programming. PTCS began first as a preschool in 1953 and expanded to include elementary grades.
Our school nurtures students to positively engage the world through core values built on a well-rounded, Christ-centered education, anchored in spiritual formation; guided by compassionate teachers who know their students, our school achieves academic excellence. Though the world we live in now continues to change, our school culture remains rooted in a rich heritage as we transform to meet the demands of modernity. We equip each student to become leaders of tomorrow by providing an educational environment that encourages multicultural, global perspective, and character development.
Oak Lawn Campus
10110 S. Central Avenue
Oak Lawn IL 60453
(708) 636-8550
swchristian.org
To be a Christ-centered learning community intent on restoring God's world.
Established 1918 | Current Enrollment: 856
The Southwest Chicago Christian School Association proudly serves the southland of Chicago through three campuses:
Southwest Chicago Christian School – Oak Lawn (Preschool through 8th Grade)
Southwest Chicago Christian School – Tinley Park (Preschool through 8th Grade)
Chicago Christian High School – Palos Heights
Our schools have a rich history of over a century in providing quality Christian education. Our dedicated faculty members invest in the lives of each student, fostering a Christ-centered learning environment where curiosity is ignited, character is developed, and community is fostered.
Our schools are characterized by their diverse student body, with a commitment to excellence, access and cultural awareness. Our diverse student body stretches from the city of Chicago all throughout the suburbs of the south and southwest sides. The school instills a Kingdom mindset in students through classroom Bible study, shared worship time, and the integration of faith into all aspects of learning. Students develop a strong foundation in their faith while embracing their unique identities and backgrounds.
700 E. 170th St.
South Holland, IL 60473
weareuca.org
Empowering a diverse community, united by Christ, to achieve excellence in education for the flourishing of all creation.
Established 2018 | Current Enrollment: 106
Unity Christian Academy High School was formed in 2014 by a group of clergy, business leaders, area elementary school leaders, parents and community representatives who gathered to discuss the future of Christian School high school options in the South Chicagoland Region. This discussion lead to the forming of Unity Christian Academy High School.
After months of planning and preparation, Unity Christian Academy opened its doors to students on August 15, 2018. We began with 23 freshmen and the mission is to add a new group of 9th graders each year. UCA graduated its first class of high school students in 2022.
Our curriculum is the formation of the entire person through the work of the Spirit. Learning, which proceeds from the heart, connects our minds and our hands in relevant, rigorous, and relational work. In this way, we use our strengths for the good of the community. The purpose of education is ultimately wrapped up in God’s mandate for human beings to create, improve, and seek the fulfillment of His creation. We do this by learning, working, building culture, and having faith that God will finish His good work.
