Who We Are

USCO opened its doors in 2006 as a University-Model® School, a relatively new model of schooling that understands the importance of partnering with parents in the academic and spiritual development of their students. At USCO, we join with parents in not only educating, but also guiding students in the development of their character, values, and spiritual walk. The vision of USCO is to partner with parents to ignite a passion for Jesus in students through experiences in worship, academics, missions, leadership, and adventure.

The vision of The University School is to develop students who live in obedience and service to the Lord, are valuable contributors to the formation of a Godly culture, and model strong family and educational values. Our hope is to send students out from USCO prepared for their future. If students graduate from our school with a high level of academic achievement, but lose their faith the first year in college or their job, we have failed.

USCO is certified as a member of the National Association of University-Model® Schools and is accredited through Christian Schools International and AdvanceED.

Education

USCO is a Christian University-Model School for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Our commitment to students and parents is twofold.

Our first priority is to help young people grow in the Christian faith and live in that faith. Our second priority is to help each of our students reach their full academic potentials, and prepare each student leaving USCO to explore a further academic career, if so led. In achieving these goals, we look to God’s guidance and wisdom so that USCO is a place that allows each individual student to grow spiritually, achieve academically and develop personally.

In order for us to accomplish these goals, we look to partner with our parents in the education of our students by blending a home education and traditional education environment. USCO teachers establish all course descriptions, objectives, lesson plans, and assessments. Teachers instruct students for three days of the school week, and parents are then given specific lesson plans and goals to accomplish at home on the other two days of the school week.

Our unique structure is designed for those families in which parents take an active role in the oversight and implementation of their children’s education. The level of parental involvement progresses as students move from the elementary years through junior high and high school. By partnering with our parents, USCO is then able to integrate the home and school instruction effectively toward the common goal of Christian character development and solid academic preparation.

Student Ministry 

While most schools have a student activity program which includes clubs, student council, and dances, USCO does not want to have programs for the sake of following “how it’s always been done.” We want our student activities to be purposeful, meaningful, and focused on our core values and vision.

We look at each activity we’re considering and ask the questions, “Why have this program?” and, more importantly, “Does it build into our five core values?”

USCO understands how important it is for students to be involved in furthering the kingdom of God. Our goal is to help our students grow in five distinct areas: Worship, Academics, Missions, Leadership, and Adventure. It is our hope to instill in students the value and importance of actively pursuing their faith and putting their love for Christ into action. While it is difficult to limit our heart for student ministry into a list of “programs”, we have used some of the following as an avenue: various retreats per year (Genesis, Fall, and Spring), weekly chapels, after-school discipleship/community groups (Madbro), prayer initiatives (The Furnace), and long-term missions partnership with annual trips. These give students the opportunity to worship together and grow as a community of believers.

Secondary (6th-12th grade)

The secondary program consists of junior high (6th-8th) and high school (9th-12th) programs. Classes meet on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and offer a full course of study including literature/English, foreign language, social studies, science, fine arts, computer science, Biblical studies, math, adventure, and a host of electives.

Students are responsible for completing teacher-provided lessons and homework on Mondays/Friday. The parents’ role at the secondary level transitions from being a guide for dependent study at the junior high level to a course monitor at the senior high level. Students register for individual classes and may take as few or as many as they desire. However, students are encouraged to take a minimum of four core academic classes to meet the residency requirements for a diploma, ranking, cording, and transcript purposes.

In addition to the standard secondary coursework, USCO offers a variety of programs for students including dual credit and online learning opportunities through our online partner schools. USCO also offers Honors courses and the Foundations program, an option for modifications for students needing a differentiated approach to the standard curriculum and coursework.

Elementary (K4 – 5th Grade)

The elementary program consists of several options for children from K4 through 5th grade. The Tuesday/Thursday school days focus on core academics and offer a full course of study to include language arts, math, social studies, science, P.E. and fine arts. Parents and students follow teacher-provided lesson plans for Monday and Friday at-home days. At the elementary level, the parents’ role supports the teacher’s lesson plans at home and serves as the co-teacher.

Students have the option to enroll in our Enrichment Day on Wednesday. We offer many classes that are rotated throughout the year to keep it interesting.  For example, we have offered Lego Robotics, Drama, Creative Writing, Math Games, Missions, Latin, Summit Bible, and Gymnastics.

For the 2017-2018 school year, we are offering a Kindergarten 4 class, which is designed to get students ready for the Kindergarten 5 class. Our K4’s attend on Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30-12:00 during the first semester and will stay through lunch second semester to ease them into our all-day Kindergarten the following year.

Our staff works hard to ensure our students support all 5 values from USCO’s mission statement. Our robust educational program and goals toward meeting the needs of each student with differentiated learning, partnered with our co-teaching parents, has proven to insure success. Each of our classes lead a chapel, teaching students leadership and worship. As our part of the overall mission’s project, elementary has sponsored 7 children from Tabitha Ministry in Guatemala City. Our Adventure program teaches students team building and leadership.

Our Elementary program is the foundation for our entire K4 – 12th grade program.  We encourage you to view USCO as your long term family school!