The History of WCCS

A ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA), Westminster Catawba Christian School serves students in three-year-old preschool through twelfth grade on two campuses. The Westminster Campus houses preschool through fourth grade and the Catawba Campus houses grades five through twelve. The school is located in Rock Hill, SC, a suburban community of approximately 50,000 just 20 minutes south of Charlotte, NC. This geographic location gives residents the advantages of a small community with the easy accessibility of a large urban environment and its diverse opportunities. In addition, Rock Hill is less than three hours from the mountains and beaches of North and South Carolina.

Westminster Christian School and The Catawba School merged in 1993, with each school lending its own significant history. The merged school has led to the growth of a distinctly Christian school that focuses on the discipleship of students. WCCS is accredited by both the SACS and ACSI accrediting agencies.

The program at Westminster Catawba has been essentially college-preparatory in nature with a focus to prepare each graduate for entrance into a four-year institution of higher learning. At the same time, the school's goal was also to provide a program clearly grounded in the Scripture, presenting every course and activity from a Biblical world and life view. A variety of texts are used and selection is determined by finding those which will meet the needs of the school and the students. Bible is required for graduation; and, Bible instruction at every level, kindergarten through twelfth grade, is given by an instructor with a degree and certification in Bible. The school has a full-time athletic program, and, because of its close proximity to Charlotte, NC, competes in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association.

Westminster Catawba is governed by a fifteen member self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. While a ministry of the church, the school is separately incorporated and the Board of Trustees acts under the authority of the church session. The by-laws of the school require that a minimum of nine of the trustees be members of Westminster Presbyterian Church and that three of those nine must be church officers. The members of the Board are all believers who are committed to Christian education, to God's work at WCCS, and are actively involved in the life of the school. A majority of the Board members' children also attend the school.