Heritage Christian School - Kelowna

I attended heritage from pre-k to graduation. My father taught at heritage for 17 years and my brother currently works there. This is a quality institution which focuses is not only on the education of students but also their well-being and spirituality. The school makes a multitude of efforts to help students. I've never seen a school in my post-secondary life that cares as much about students as this school does. This can be seen in my own life as I am good friends with faculty members hear after graduation. If you are looking for a quality school that cares about the students spirituality along with academics, this is the school.

My kids are in Grade 8 and 5 and have gone to HCS all of their school years except one year in the public system (Gr 5 & 2). While that year was still good, it did not compare to the years at HCOS before or after. The level of care from teachers and staff, along with broader sense of community, is the core of what makes HCS a special place. Does it have endless elective options? No. There is a trade-off sometimes between smaller community and a wide variety of options. Are the elementary facilities in need of being replaced? Yes. But they are maintained and planned on being replaced soon. For myself and my kids, the positives of teacher care, school community, strong academics and personal character development focus far outweigh options and facilities.

My son started at HCOS this last year. What an amazing experience we have had in the first year. For anyone that knows reading levels he was in grade 3 and still sitting at level D which was hurting his confidence and creating major anxiety for him in school. With learning disabilities involved we were feeling overwhelmed with how to improve his reading abilities. I must say Wow!!! it is January and he is a few books away from level J! We are so proud of his hard work but not only that the staff have been nothing but helpful since day one. They put their soul into their work and heart into encouraging students to do better. We feel so blessed and from my family's hearts we say Thank You HCOS!

I attended HCS from Gr. 1 - Gr.12, graduating with a class of only 12 students. We knew each other very well as almost all of us had been together since elementary. With a small class, our graduation was a very special experience as the teachers took time with each student to speak a personal message of encouragement to us in this milestone moment of our lives. Without a doubt we felt known and cared for; we understood that these teachers were standing behind us as we were ready to venture off in life. Even after gradation, I have had many moments of seeing how these teachers truly care and are still there for me, even though I haven’t been their student for years. Overall, my education at HCS was full of wonderful friendships, excellent academic instruction, life changing trips, and teachers who went over and beyond on a daily basis in how they taught, but more importantly how they loved me and wanted to see me be all God has called me to be. I am so excited that my daughter has now begun her education here at HCS. In the time she has been here, we have already seen how the teachers, principals, and staff love and care deeply for her. There is nowhere else we would want her to be for her schooling as we know this is her second family; they truly see her potential, gifting and worth. I love how they are speaking into that and drawing it out even more. I so appreciate how they are are coming alongside us as parents to help develop her character and encourage her to RISE up. My daughter is learning the importance of Respect, Integrity, Service and Effort on a daily basis. What a gift this school has been to me and now our daughter!

I just met with all of our kids teachers over the past two weeks, and I have to say, I am blown away by the incredible teaching staff at Heritage: They know my kids! And they care so deeply. First of all, I’m so blessed that they took extra time out of their lunches, or stayed late after school to meet with us because we were out of town during the scheduled parent teacher interviews. We talked about their academics, which are fantastic, but I was struck how in every conversation we quickly went deeper, talking about our children’s emotional landscape and spiritual journeys. The grade 6 teacher Chris asked us about specific situations that happened with classmates, and him asking if what was happening at school was affecting our daughter at home. We talked about the character trait of going beyond simply “tolerance” and actively pursuing “kindness”. This is helping us use similar language so we can reinforce the same character growth at home. That is an example of what is so fantastic about HCS: the teachers truly care about my children developing an authentic relationship with Christ, wrestling with their faith questions, and helping reaffirm the character and academic growth our children need. Both at home and at school. If you want a school where teachers are partners with you in an authentic whole-person-education, this is your school.

I spent 10 years at HCS (grades 3-12) and had an incredible experience; I would recommend this school to anyone who is serious about Christian Education. The teachers and staff care not only about the student's academics, but also for their personal and spiritual well-being. Smaller classes meant that I was seen and heard by my teachers, which meant that I could not hide in the background. It also meant that I had more opportunities to grow and flourish in areas that I wouldn't have had in a larger, secular school setting. It is because of these extra-mile teachers that I had throughout elementary, middle-school, and secondary that have inspired me to go into the education field myself. I cannot say enough great things about this school!

Both of my kids have gone to this school since pre-school (now grade 2 and 5). Growing up I moved a lot and went to 4 different elementary schools and 3 high schools. Being in the public schools I never felt connected to my teachers and classes were over crowded. This is where Heritage Christian School shines. My kids always have great things to say about their teachers and for the most part love going to school (as much as any kid can at least). The attention they get from their teachers because of the smaller class sizes is very beneficial to their learning and growing. The care they get from the community they build within the school is inspiring and will pay off as they get into higher grades. All around the staff are very professional at what they do, but also show a level of caring for your child and their future that you just wont get from a public school. The building is a little old (the bad reviews below are very dramatic) but it's kept in decent repair. The facility is kept up and cleaner than any public school I've been in. I believe they have plans to replace the building soon though. Overall, if you're looking for a Christian focused private school that you can feel confident about your kids going to, you will not go wrong with heritage. This is a solid investment in your childs future.

At HCS I have had so many fond memories. I have been going there since grade three and now I’m going into grade seven. This year I’m not going to HCS so I want to share with you my experience . I have made so many friends here and have had bully’s. HCS has always put me in my bully’s class even though there is two classes every year. I love the community and I think that’s why I stayed so long but the school didn’t have enough classes to choose from it was always the same old thing. But I will always think of this school as a nice place for elementary but not for graduating from.