Calvary Chapel Christian School

What Calvary Chapel Christian School does

Calvary Chapel Christian School (CCCS) is a private, church-affiliated Christ-centered K-12 institution headquartered at 12808 Woodruff Avenue, Downey, California, founded in 1979 by then-Senior Pastor Jeff Johnson under the Calvary Chapel of Downey church and currently operating under the spiritual oversight of Senior Pastor Art Reyes. The school serves approximately 800 students across Pre-School (ages 2-4), Elementary (K-6), Junior High (7-8), and High School (9-12) divisions, with an additional ~100 students enrolled in the Grizzly Academy satellite school and a separate Cedar House Academy sub-brand. It also runs an International Student Program for grades 7-12 that issues I-20 visas and arranges Christian homestay placements through church families.

The curriculum backbone is BJU Press Christ-centered materials integrated across all grade levels, paired with a proprietary ESLR (Expected School-Wide Learning Results) framework and an in-house mobile application launched in 2025. Operations run on standard education-sector SaaS: PowerSchool for student information and registration, Blackbaud Smart Tuition for billing, InfoSnap for enrollment snapcode-based workflows, and Pushpay for donations. Facilities include a gym, weight room, biology/chemistry/science labs, choral and instrumental music rooms, art room, computer lab, and libraries on the main Woodruff Avenue campus. The school holds dual accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools (ACTS).

The business model is tuition-driven subscription revenue with monthly billing cycles, supplemented by donations and fundraising that flow into a Legacy Fund and School Emergency Scholarship Fund rather than the operating budget, plus international program tuition and homestay placement fees. Disclosed pre-school pricing ranges from $451/month (Half Day, three days/week) to $909/month (Full Day, five days/week), with K-12 fee schedules distributed via PDF. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through a dedicated phone line per division, in-person admissions, an online InfoSnap enrollment portal, campus tours, and a Shadow a Student program, with the Calvary Chapel of Downey church congregation functioning as the primary referral channel.

Name

Calvary Chapel Christian School

Legal name

Calvary Chapel Christian School

Website

https://cccsdowney.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Calvary Chapel Christian School is a private church-affiliated Christ-centered K-12 school in Downey, California, serving approximately 900 students from Pre-School through 12th grade across multiple divisions, plus an International Student Program with I-20 visa support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Christian Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Christian education
• K-12 private school
• BJU press curriculum
• College preparatory education
• International student program

Headquarters

HQ city

Downey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from tuition payments across multiple school divisions. Pre-school tuition ranges from $451/month (Half Day, 3 days/week) to $909/month (Full Day, 5 days/week). K-12 and Grizzly Academy tuition schedules available via PDF documents. PowerSchool enrollment system for secure registration and demographic verification.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Donations support the Legacy Fund for families facing financial hardship due to disabling injury, job loss, or death. School Emergency Scholarship Fund helps families struggling to keep students enrolled. Fundraising money used for classroom improvements, campus enhancements, and student life improvements, not operating budget.
3. International Student Program Fees: International students grades 7-12 pay tuition and require Christian homestay placement. School issues I-20 visa status to qualifying students. Homestay families receive monetary compensation for hosting international students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Calvary Chapel Christian School is a private Christ-centered K-12 educational institution serving approximately 800 students from Pre-School (ages 2-4) through 12th grade, plus about 100 students in its Grizzly Academy satellite school. It offers college preparatory academics with Biblical worldview integration, using BJU Press curriculum, and is accredited by WASC and ACTS. It also operates an International Student Program (grades 7-12) with I-20 visa issuance and Christian homestay placement.

Product overview

Calvary Chapel Christian School is a Christ-centered K-12 educational institution serving approximately 800 students from Pre-School (ages 2-4) through 12th grade. The school operates multiple programs: Pre-School, Elementary (K-6), Junior High (7-8), High School (9-12), and Grizzly Academy satellite school. Additional offerings include an International Student Program with I-20 status and homestay placement, plus athletics and performing arts. The school uses BJU Press curriculum and is accredited by WASC and ACTS. Technology platforms include PowerSchool for registration, Blackbaud Smart Tuition for billing, InfoSnap for enrollment, and a proprietary mobile app for parent/student communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grizzly Academy: Satellite school offering specialized education programs
• Cedar House Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 70 graduates sent to college and beyond annually from approximately 70 students per graduating class
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Calvary Chapel of DowneycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978Founding church and ongoing spiritual partner. Senior Pastor Jeff Johnson started school in 1978 under God's call. Current Senior Pastor Art Reyes provides continued vision for Christ-centered education. School located on church campus at 12808 Woodruff Ave. Church and school share Statement of Faith and mission to fulfill Matthew 28:19-20. Homestay families recruited from church congregation for International Student Program.
• BJU Press (Bob Jones University Press)coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary curriculum provider for Calvary Chapel Christian School since school inception. BJU Press provides Christ-centered textbooks and teaching materials for all grade levels. K-6 textbooks purchased through BJU Press Parent Portal; Math textbooks for 7th-12th grades also sourced from BJU. Partnership supports conceptual, multi-sensory, balanced approach to learning with Biblical worldview integration.
• EDTech (Shelfit)coreTechnology or IntegrationTextbook provider for 7th-12th grade students (except Math textbooks). Students purchase textbooks through EDTech/Shelfit platform. Part of curriculum materials partnership alongside BJU Press for complete course material sourcing.
• PowerSchoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline student registration platform used for secure enrollment process. PowerSchool allows electronic signature of forms, verification of student demographic, emergency, and medical information. Parent access portal at calvary.powerschool.com for student records.
• Blackbaud (Smart Tuition)coreTechnology or IntegrationTuition and fee payment collection platform. Blackbaud offers multiple payment methods for families. Parent portal at parent.smarttuition.com for balance checks and tuition payments. Replaced previous Smart Tuition branding.
• InfoSnapcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline enrollment system handling new student applications and returning student re-enrollment. Different enrollment forms for Pre-School, K-6th, 7th-12th, and Grizzly Academy. Re-enrollment uses unique snapcodes sent via email to families.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Crossroads Christian School (Corona): Pre-K through 12 Christian school in Corona, CA with Biblical worldview curriculum. Comparable college-preparatory academics, athletics, and faith-based enrollment model for Southern California families.
• Capistrano Valley Christian Schools: Pre-K through 12th-grade evangelical Christian school in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Comparable in offering college-prep academics, athletics, and Biblical worldview integration for Southern California families.
• Heritage Christian School (Sherman Oaks): Independent Christian K-8 school in Sherman Oaks serving LA-area families with same faith-gated enrollment model and Biblical worldview curriculum. Comparable K-8 segment with similar college-prep pathway.
• Whittier Christian High School: Private, faith-based K-12 Christian school in Whittier, CA — directly comparable geographic region, faith-based mission, college-prep academics, and tuition-driven model serving Southeast LA County.
• Pacifica Christian High School: Faith-based 9-12 college-preparatory Christian high school in Newport Beach, CA. Directly comparable college-prep AP offering, faith-based gating, athletics, and arts programs in the Southern California market.
• Linfield Christian School: Pre-K through 12 private Christian school in Temecula, CA. Comparable faith-based mission, college-prep academics, athletics, and tuition-driven model serving Southern California Inland Empire families.
• Calvary Chapel Schools (network): Other Calvary Chapel-affiliated Christian schools across California and the U.S. Share the same church-ministry origin model, Statement of Faith governance, and Christ-centered curriculum philosophy — most direct peer by mission.

Regional players

• Liberty Christian School (Redding): Faith-based K-12 Christian school in Northern California sharing BJU-style Christ-centered curriculum and tuition-driven enrollment model, but in a different geography than CCCS's Downey base.
• Valley Christian Schools (San Jose): Large Bay Area private Christian K-12 system. Same faith-based model and tuition-driven revenue, but operates in Northern California rather than Southern California, making it a peer by category but not a direct geographic competitor.

Others

• BJU Press / Bob Jones University: Core curriculum partner and publisher of Christ-centered instructional materials used across CCCS grades K-12. Adjacent rather than direct: enables the academic product but does not compete for enrollment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cccsdowney
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/calvary-chapel-christian-school

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Calvary Chapel Christian School