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Mission & History

Mission Statement

Statement of Faith

Santiam Christian Schools partners with Christian families to provide an education rooted in a biblical worldview, forming students for lives of faith, learning, character, and service.

We Believe…

  • We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God (II Tim. 3:16, II Pet. 1:21).

  • We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1, Matt. 28:19, John 10:30)

  • We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:23, Luke 1:35); His sinless life (Heb. 4:15, 7:26), His miracles (John 2:11); His vicarious and atoning death (I Cor. 15:3, Eph. 1:7, Heb. 2:9); His resurrection (John 11:25, I Cor. 15:4); His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19); His personal return in power and glory (Acts 1:11, Rev. 19:11).

  • We believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature; and that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God’s grace, through faith, alone are we saved (John 3:16-21, John 5:24, Ro. 3:23, 5:8-9, Eph. 2:8-10, Titus 3:5).

  • We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of life, and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29).

  • We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Ro. 8:9, I Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:26-28).

  • We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (Ro. 8:13-14, I Cor. 3:16, 6:19-20, Eph. 4:30, 5:18).

Our History

Santiam Christian began in the Fall of 1979, with 55 students in grades 9-11 at New Life Center in Albany Oregon. The founding board was Mel Buck, President Howard Ropp, and Elden Stutzman.

In 1980, SC moved to the Adair Village campus we occupy today. Fundraisers back in the day consisted of Newspaper drives, catching chickens, food booths, and the county fair.

In the summer of 1984, over 2,400 volumes were catalogued for our library as the state of Oregon evaluated accreditation for Santiam Christian Schools. All the hard work paid off, and SC was accreditated by ACSI in the spring of 1985.

Two men in suits shaking hands in an office with framed artwork and a winged sculpture on the wall.

On November 14, 1985 Santiam petitioned the U.S. government for 12 buildings and 16.5 acres for the price of $1.00. On February 28, 1989, SC officially obtained ownership of the parcel of land.

SC continued to grow, and merged with Heritage school on July 1, 1990. At this point, the student body was 310 students and it became apparent that we would need more space. God provided for us then, and has continued to provide for us again and again throughout our history. We have been blessed to have a continually growing campus that now includes Elementary, Junior High, and High School buildings, 2 playgrounds, athletic fields and facilities, fine arts, music, and theater facilities, science, woodshop, agriculture, and culinary labs, greenhouses, and more.

We are honored to participate in welcoming international exchange students into our halls, and delight in getting to know them, and learning from them while they are here. Hundreds of our students have participated in 30+ missions trips from China, to the Dominican Republic, to Ukraine.

We are deeply honored to be a part of this community. It is our mission to serve SC students and families with the joy of Christ, provide a solid faith based education, and showcase the love of Jesus in everything we do.

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Three girls holding overturned shopping carts inside a building, with a brick wall and glass door in the background.
A man in a plaid blazer is cutting a ribbon to inaugurate an event, surrounded by a group of onlookers.
Construction site with workers, concrete pump truck, and building in progress, surrounded by trees.
A parking lot filled with many cars outside a large building complex, with a flagpole and a flag, and a landscape with rolling hills and green fields in the background.
A group of people standing outdoors in front of a white wall, some smiling and holding books or boxes, with one person holding a book above their head. The group appears to be participating in a gathering or celebration.
Group photo of middle school girls and boys basketball team with coaches, standing outdoors in front of a wall with large red and black text. The team is wearing black uniforms with red diagonal stripes, and some individuals are dressed in casual clothing or jackets.