The high school years – from the 9th to 12th grades – focus on developing the heart, mind, and character of each student to prepare him or her to be a leader in the 21st century who will make a difference for Jesus Christ in the world.
Academic Excellence
As a dually-accredited college preparatory school, Atlantic Christian School offers a rigorous high school curriculum that is challenging and meets all New Jersey State content standards. Highly qualified faculty trained in the academic subjects they teach value each student as an individual and want to see each student succeed in fulfilling God’s purpose for his or her life.
Course offerings are diverse and designed to encourage learning that builds on a student’s God-given gifts and talents. College-bound students can take SAT Prep classes and AP level courses in English, math, social studies, and science. Students in grades 10-12 who excel in leadership, scholarship, character, and service may apply for membership in the National Honor Society.
In 2018, ACS students achieved SAT scores that topped the national, state, and Atlantic County public high school averages, according to statistics from the College Board. The average scores of college-bound ACS students who took the SAT in 2018 were 569 in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) section and 564 in the Math section. These ACS scores were higher than the national and New Jersey state averages and the average scores of eight Atlantic County high schools, including Absegami, Atlantic City, Atlantic County Institute of Technology, Cedar Creek, Chartertech, Egg Harbor Township, Mainland, and Pleasantville.
Every high school student receives a Chromebook to use throughout the school year as part of our One-On-One Chromebook initiative. The goal is to enable every student to master the use of technology and be prepared for college and their future careers. Teachers integrate the use of the Chromebooks in the classroom and students are permitted to take the Chromebooks home. Students gain a wide spectrum of skills from this hands-on technology training, including learning internet research skills, graphic design, and creating videos and other types of presentations.
Education Concentrations
When students enter high school, they have the ability to select courses that are centered around five different concentrations — Biblical Leadership, Business, Education, Health & Medicine, and Technology. Taking classes in a specific concentration gives students an opportunity to explore their college and career interests.
Dual Enrollment
Students can enroll in seven different dual-credit courses in partnership with Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing, NJ. By taking these dual-credit courses, a student can earn up to 24 college credits while attending ACS. The dual-credit courses being offered for the 2022-2023 school year are: Algebra 2, Biology 2, Pre-Calculus, Psychology, Spanish 3, Statistics, and U.S. History 2.
Guidance
ACS offers guidance counseling to help students develop and grow in their academic, social, and spiritual lives. A systematic approach helps students identify personal strengths and weaknesses and to make both short-term and long-range plans. Specific services include:
- Course selection and development of student schedules
- Coordinating student testing for national and regional tests
- Requiring each student to take a career exploration class
- Coordinating student attendance at annual college fairs
- Maintenance of student transcripts and records
- Providing seminars for parents and students on SAT and AP testing and the college and financial aid application process
For more information about guidance services, please contact Mrs. Meg McHale, Upper School Principal: mmchale@acseht.org.
Course Selection
Each spring, a new Course Selection Guide is released for parents, students, and school administration to work together on selecting classes for the coming school year.
Testing
ACS endeavors to prepare students for college entrance exams by administering the PSAT to all 9th grade students and by offering an SAT Prep class open to all high school students. These efforts help equip our students with the ability to increase their SAT scores as well as to obtain valuable support in college and career planning.
College Fairs
Each year students are given the opportunity to attend local college fairs. These college fairs include the National College Fair in Atlantic City and the National Christian College Fair.
Spiritual Growth
All students are required to take a Bible course each year where God’s Word is presented as a practical guide for their lives – “…a lamp to their feet and a light to their path.” God’s Truth is also integrated into every subject across the curriculum. As students grow in their spiritual knowledge, they learn how to apply the lessons of Scripture to current events and the moral and ethical issues of today. They examine the differences between a Christian worldview and other worldviews that they will encounter in college and in society. Weekly chapel, COMPASS small group discussions, and a fall Spiritual Emphasis Retreat seek to inspire students to be effective witnesses for Christ. They are also encouraged to live out the Christian faith by serving others and must complete 40 hours of service per year as part of their Bible grade. Students may also join the Missions Club that organizes school-wide food and clothing drives and conducts short-term evangelism outreach projects. Students also have the opportunity to go on overseas and domestic missions trips. Some of the places where high school missions teams have served are: the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Houston, Jamaica, and New York City.
Co-Curricular Opportunities
- Interscholastic Athletics
- ACS fields competitive sports teams for both boys and girls in soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, and cheerleading as a member of the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference. ACS teams have won league championships in every sport and a number of ACS players have been named league MVPs.
- ACS teams also compete against local area public schools in non-league games and participate in national tournaments sponsored by the National Christian School Athletic Association.
- Athletes can join a school huddle of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes which meets weekly for Bible study, fellowship, and encouragement and to discover ways to honor God through sports.
- Music and Fine Arts
- Students can develop their artistic gifts by choosing to participate in the High School Worship Team and High School Band and can audition for the fall musical production.
- Students can take a variety of art classes, compete in the annual Atlantic County Teen Arts Festival, and have their artistic work on display in the school’s annual spring art show.
- Leadership
- Student Council — Provides students with an opportunity to develop leadership and governing skills and to organize various fund-raising activities for their classes.
- Student Ambassador Program — Students can serve as representatives of the school, gaining training in public relations, communications, and marketing.
- World Concerns Conference — Students can attend this regional conference in Washington, DC sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools International, where they are challenged to use their gifts and talents to serve God and help address some of the today’s pressing local and worldwide issues.
