Our Blog

By: Pastor Schlicht

Is Christian education worth it? Here at Eastside Lutheran we certainly think so. Christian education has been an integral part of Eastside’s ministry from the very start. In the minutes of the congregational meeting on October 28, 1926 we read: “Motion made and seconded that we take mortal responsibility of the Lutheran School to be started February 1, 1927 at Gallagher Park.” The motion carried and Eastside, with the help of other local WELS congregations, opened up one of Madison’s first Lutheran grade schools. Fast forward to 2018 and we are still open. We may have changed location and added a preschool but nothing has changed about our commitment to quality Christian education.

This April our school and preschool received an exemplary rating of accreditation, meeting 96% of all standards. As pastor, and as the guy who didn’t have as much to do with this accomplishment, I am really proud of our faculty and staff. The exemplary accreditation rating is a stamp which validates a quality of education that already existed here. So while it will be nice to promote, the most important blessing of accreditation is the continued assurance of quality Christian education and a chance to improve. We have a great school and we hope that more parents and children in the Madison community will come to recognize its worth. After all, that’s the big question, isn’t it?

As much as we would truly love it to be the case, a Christian education at Eastside Lutheran is not free. Every family that sends their kids to our school has to count the cost. The question remains: Is Christian education worth the price?

Karen Winter the Superintendent of Turlock Christian Schools in Turlock, CA shared some statistics/facts regarding private schooling generally and Christian schools specifically. Here’s some of what she shared from an issue of Christian School Comment:

1. The 2002 National Center for Education Statistics report showed that students who had completed eighth grade or higher in a private school were twice as likely as other students to graduate from college.
2. Christian school students consistently score top marks on standardized tests and college entrance exams. “Private high school students scored significantly higher than public high school students on reading, math, and science assessments by age 15, and by age 23 had higher levels of educational attainment” (Frenette and Chan, 2015).
3. Between 90 and 100 percent of Christian school graduates attend their university of choice.
4. Christian schools have a higher percentage of students involved in extracurricular, leadership, and outreach activities, which help develop new talents, responsibility, discipline, and a heart for serving.
5. A 2007 study reinforced the power of dedicated teachers in private schools (Van Pelt, Allison, and Allison). Christian teachers help children reach their God-given potential.
6. A safe, secure learning environment, one of the keys to student success, is a top benefit of a Christian school.

Karen brings up many great reasons for Christian education, but I hope the reasons above aren’t why you send your child to Eastside. Because at the end of the day, attendance at an accredited school isn’t going to save your child. 

No college degree can guarantee a hope-filled life. No top test scores can comfort your soul when tragedy strikes. No amount of academic prestige can clean a conscience. In the end, the reason Christian education is worth the price is because, very simply, it is rooted in Christ. At Eastside Lutheran your child will receive a quality education, but more importantly, they will get to know their Savior, Jesus Christ. Here they are told of the God who loved them enough to die for them. Here they learn about the forgiveness and freedom found in Christ and the eternal life he won for them. Here faculty and staff do their best to reflect the selfless love of Christ. Here your child will learn and play and grow rooted in the mortally important Word of God, the Word which gives them the hope and peace that this world and any secular school, public or private, cannot give.

A lot has changed at Eastside since October 28, 1926, but one thing hasn’t: We still understand the “mortal responsibility” to provide Christian education. Is Christian education worth it? Ask one of our students about their Savior and I’ll let you decide.