In a world where “one size fits all” has become an industry standard, CLS offers an alternative. CLS, located in Westminster, Maryland, provides an academically focused and affordable private education which meets the individual needs of each student who walks through our doors. Our students are thriving because they are seen as unique learners and precious children of God who each have their own inherent gifts and talents.

Our limited class sizes mean that teachers have the time to get to know each child and their personal learning styles. Instruction is planned to meet their needs while helping them reach their fullest potential. Because we are not encumbered by Common Core, our teachers are free to use the best combination of traditional strategies and cutting edge techniques to provide highly effective, engaging instruction. Since we don’t lose several weeks of instructional time to the high stakes testing required in the public schools, our teachers can pace the delivery of instruction and the introduction of new material to best meet the needs of their students.

Our curriculum and instructional materials cover the traditional foundations of a solid education—math, reading comprehension, phonics, spelling, grammar, science, and social studies. Our students spend time expanding their horizons in specials classes focused on health, physical education, music, art, and media. Beyond our curriculum and the materials used to support it, our students learn to be good thinkers. They develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as public speaking and debate skills. They begin to understand how they learn best and develop study and organizational skills that will serve them well beyond our walls. Our students don’t just learn how to answer questions—they learn how to ask them.

Our staff is incredible! They all hold degrees in their content areas and are MSDE certified or in MAT programs. Many hold Master’s Degrees and other certifications far beyond what the state requires.  Our teachers are continually participating in staff development to learn new skills and develop innovative ways to connect with their students. Many of them take the time to work with students after school, play a game of basketball in After Care, or attend their students’ sporting events and recitals outside of school. They go above and beyond to connect with children and their families, and that shows in the working relationships they develop with their students.

All of this amazing learning and growing takes place at a sprawling, beautiful campus which includes a full-size gymnasium, an outdoor classroom pavilion, an expansive playground, sports fields, and an outdoor chapel area. Safety and security are of top priority. Technology is also a key focus, and students learn to use a wide variety of programs and resources to supplement and support their learning. It is common to see typed essays, PowerPoint presentations, and infographics created in Google Slides. At CLS, students are harnessing the power of technology to launch them into the next level of learning.

And the basis of all this, our centering point, is the Christ-centered environment in which our students and staff work together each day. Through daily Faith Studies instruction, weekly chapel services, community service projects, morning and afternoon prayers, and classroom devotions, students grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior, and they learn to demonstrate God’s love to others. The CLS community is one built on kindness, compassion, and teamwork. The love of Christ is obvious in all we do.

You may think that such an amazing private school education is out of your reach. It isn’t. Please call CLS to schedule a tour and see for yourself the magic that happens at CLS every day. We have fantastic scholarship opportunities and new student grants, and we work hard to make a high quality, academically rigorous, and faith focused education available to as many families as possible.

If you are not looking for a school right now, please prayerfully consider ways in which you can support the goals of CLS and make this opportunity available to other families in your community. Financial support, in-kind donations, volunteer hours, and your earnest prayers for our students and staff are all ways that you can contribute to ensuring that CLS continues to meet the educational and faith foundation needs of students for many years to come.

To get an introduction to CLS, please watch this short video about the school.