FAQs

Southwest Christian High School was founded to foster spiritual, academic, athletic, and artistic growth in its students. SWCHS is a challenging college-preparatory high school that teaches all subjects from a biblical worldview perspective. Our mission is to assist students in developing a biblical worldview that will impact them intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This worldview contrasts dramatically with the secular culture of our day.

Southwest Christian provides a caring environment in which every student is valued, whether it be in the classroom, on the performance stage, or on the basketball court. It is a nurturing environment in which we are deliberate in the discipleship of high school students; preparing them for their life beyond high school.

The enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is approximately 540 students.

The class size average is 22 students, however class sizes range between 12-26 students. 

Our 2023-24 freshmen class includes students from 25 different middle schools. 

SWCHS does not provide bus transportation for its students; however, our directory has a map system that can help connect families interested in carpooling. Once students have their driver's license, they are able to park on campus during the school day without charge.

The academic school year is divided into two semesters. We start school prior to Labor Day and wrap up the semester before Christmas. The second semester starts in early January and ends before Memorial Day. SWCHS uses a modified block schedule format of 80-minute class periods with four periods per day. 

SWCHS is not associated with any church or denomination. SWCHS is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Council on Educational Standards & Accountability. SWCHS is governed by the Board of Education, which is comprised of SWCHS parents and leaders in the community. SWCHS does require all students and at least one parent to agree to our Statement of Faith.

The SWCHS student body represents over 85 area churches. Students who enroll have professed faith in Jesus Christ, and yet diversity exists in terms of denominational background, faith journeys, race, income level, and national or ethnic origin. Each student is upheld as a distinct, gifted, individual - loved by God and created in the image of God.
 

Academics at SWCHS are college-preparatory, emphasizing six core areas: English, history, Bible, math, science, and foreign languages. A wide variety of electives are available in fine arts, music, physical education, health, technology, pre-engineering, business/finance and more. SWCHS places an emphasis on writing skills, believing that students who write well have also gained skills in analytical thinking and clear communication. A combination of several curriculum sources are used, including original source documents, classical literature and both Christian and secular publishers.

On the ACT, Southwest Christian students have consistently scored above the Minnesota state average and well above the national average. SWCHS offers a number of opportunities for students to earn college credit while in high school, including advanced placement (AP) classes and post-secondary on site (PSOS) program. 

Southwest Christian High School believes that our responsibility as a school is to provide an opportunity for as many students as we are able to adequately serve to be educated in a Christian environment. We recognize that some students may need some extra support to be successful at Southwest Christian. To meet those needs, the school has developed several programs to support various levels of learning needs. Check out our Student Services page under Academics for more information.