SOUTHWEST HISTORY

Southwest Christian High School began educating disciples of Jesus Christ in the fall of 1996 in rented space in Minnetonka, with two full-time and five part-time teachers and two administrative staff for 36 ninth and tenth graders. The school was formed by a committee of parents representing Chapel Hill Academy, King's Academy, and Medicine Lake Lutheran Academy for the purpose of providing a high school option for students at these schools and the community at large. On June 11, 1999, Southwest held its first commencement exercises, graduating seven students.

In September of 1999, Southwest moved from Minnetonka to the Eden Prairie Assembly of God Church, anticipating construction of a new building on the King of Glory church site. But God had other plans for the 125 students and 25 faculty. That year, the Christmas concert included the first annual all-school choir singing the "Hallelujah Chorus," and the school put on its first musical, “Hello, Dolly!” The first homecoming included the Night of Stars talent show. Two mission teams went to Hungary and New York; and the juniors attended a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., and co-authored a resolution.

In the fall of 2000, Southwest moved into the former Nordic Track headquarters in Chaska and began converting it for use as a school, during the three-year conditional use period granted by the city. The 2000-2001 school year started off with the entire school "camped out" at the Chaska community center for four weeks as the build-out of the new facility was completed. After many miracles, including soccer fields procured hours before the first practice, and thousands of volunteer hours on demolition and construction, the dedication service for the new building took place on October 2, the same date as the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6 was a significant scripture during the build-out process). By the next year, the SW Athletic Program had made some tremendous steps forward, capturing 2 third-place finishes, 3 fourth-place finishes, and one consolation championship, and saw 19 athletes selected to all-conference teams. In spite of a challenging year due to budget restrictions and an uncertain economy, the school saw God provide over and over, including the outfitting of the new science lab. Over the next year, additional changes to the building were accomplished and a conditional-use building permit was extended to the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

Academic achievement among SWCHS students is noteworthy, as well. Graduates have been accepted at more than 60 colleges and universities since 1999, and there have been 9 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists. The average SWCHS student scores 20 percent above the national average, and higher, on the Stanford Test for Academic Skills; the SWCHS average score on the ACT is 23.5 (national average is 21), and the SWCHS average score on the SAT is 1174 (1021 is the national average).

With an enrollment of 156 in 2008-2009, the school looks forward to what God calls us to do in the lives of the students and their families, as those students grow and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ who love God and excel as scholars, stewards, statesmen, and servants.