Major changes are coming to this SLO County private school. See what’s in store
Major changes are coming to one of San Luis Obispo County’s most prominent private schools.
The North County Christian School in Atascadero will soon be known as the Brookside Christian Academy — and with the name change comes a few more developments.
The school will soon offer high school education, expanding from its current K-8 model to K-12, plus preschool.
Parents can also select a three-, four-, or five-day school week for their students.
And parents will see a transition to a different Christian education model — one that diverges further from the traditional public school mold.
The model is based on classical education, which is “how education functioned for hundreds of years prior to the establishment of the public school system around the industrial revolution,” spokesperson Amy Maskal told The Tribune in an email.
Maskal said the classical education model prioritizes teaching kids how to think, rather than what to think.
At Brookside Christian Academy, students receive a classical education based on Christian fundamentals. The Bible will be used “both as a source text and a character standard,” Maskal said.
“There is a stereotype that the CCE model is very rigid, imposing harsh requirements on both students and academic standards — and though we do desire excellent academics, the intention with our application of CCE is one of health and vibrancy, causing our culture and children to thrive as they engage amongst themselves and out into our community,” Maskal wrote.
To discuss the changes, the school will be offering two informational meetings on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 10 a.m.
The meetings will be located at the Atascadero Bible Church campus in room 102. They are open to the public.
This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM.
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