Southwest Christian High School began educating disciples of Jesus Christ in a rented space in Minnetonka, Minnesota the fall of 1996.
1996
During its inaugural year in 1996, the Southwest Christian High School student body consisted of 36 ninth and tenth-grade students under the leadership of its founding administrator, John Newton. The school was formed by a committee of parents representing Chapel Hill Academy, King’s Christian Academy, and Medicine Lake Lutheran Academy for the purpose of providing a Christian high school option for families in the southwestern metro area of the Twin Cities.
1999
On June 11, 1999, SWCHS held its first commencement exercises, graduating seven students. By September of 1999, Southwest Christian was outgrowing its current space with an enrollment that had grown to 125 students, necessitating its move from the Minnetonka location to Eden Prairie Assembly of God Church. After one year in this location, the growth of both the church and the school caused the school to look for alternative accommodations.
2000
After many miracles and the hard work of hundreds of volunteers, a warehouse space (103 Peavey Rd) in Chaska, Minnesota was transformed into a high school. The dedication service for the new space was held on October 2, 2000. Over the next several years, SWCHS experienced an exciting period of growth and achievement. The school produced two National Merit Scholars and nine National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists. The athletic program made great strides with 19 athletes selected to all-conference teams.
2011
In order to accommodate the school’s growth, Southwest Christian purchased 29 acres of farmland in Chaska as the location for a new school building (1981 Bavaria Rd, Chaska) in 2011. Construction began on the new site in July 2011. With construction completed on the new 63,000-square-foot campus and athletic fields, 187 students began school in the new SWCHS building on September 4, 2012.
2017
On August 1, 2017, SWCHS had a groundbreaking ceremony for the new building expansion to be open in the fall of 2018. The building expansion will include science labs, computer CAD labs, business and entrepreneurship, robotics, engineering, music, and theater classrooms. In addition to these classrooms, the new building will include a performing arts auditorium, lobby, and school counselor office area.
2019
On January 7, 2019, SWCHS opened the new building expansion, 63,843 square feet of new space. The entire 127,306 square feet of campus includes 34 classrooms, 25 offices, and 734 seats in the newly added performing arts auditorium.
2022
On June 2, 2022, SWCHS broke ground on the 53,000-square-foot athletic expansion. This includes more gym space, athletic offices, team meeting and film rooms, a weight room expansion from the current 850 sq. ft to 4,500 sq. ft, a short sprinting track, additional parking, and storage.
As a school community, we are thankful for the many families that prayerfully stepped forward in faith to start, grow, build, and support Southwest Christian High School. We look forward to the plans God has for the school in the years to come as we seek to be faithful to his call “to seek, know, live, and proclaim the Truth.”