Eighteen percent of the students attending Lutheran schools live outside of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. In many schools, more than half of the students attending do not claim membership in a Lutheran congregation. In the midst of these circumstances, the Holy Spirit is working in powerful ways. Because of the Spirit’s work through relationships cultivated in our schools, student lives are being changed for eternity. Through the power of God’s Word and a splash of water, Lutheran school students and their families experience God’s baptismal grace and are welcomed into God’s family. The following stories paint a picture of how God is working in His schools. Read More . . .

Additional statistics and information about how God is working in and through Lutheran Schools can be found in this document titled, "Splashes of Grace."

Five outstanding Lutheran schools were selected to receive National Lutheran School Accreditation’s “Exemplary Status” for the 2010-11 academic year:

• Concordia Lutheran School, Conover, N.C., Principal Bill Unverfehrt
• Concordia Lutheran High School, Fort Wayne, Ind., Principal John Marks
• Our Redeemer Lutheran School, Wauwatosa, Wis., Principal Mary Irish
• Salem Lutheran School, Orange, Calif., Principal Phil Duerr
• St John’s Lutheran School, Orange, Calif., Principal Randy Einem

Since 1986 National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) has been serving schools of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. NLSA encourages and recognizes Lutheran schools that provide quality Christian education and engage in intentional ongoing improvement. The Exemplary School process of NLSA empowers selected schools of excellence to intentionally share their “Best Practices” with other LCMS schools in our system. This encourages Lutheran schools to work together, as a system, in order to grow and improve.

Becoming accredited is a strenuous process. Over 700 of our schools have voluntarily participated in an NLSA accreditation process and completed it successfully. Accredited schools must demonstrate a strong degree of compliance with the national standards used to evaluate the accomplishment of their Christian mission and academic effectiveness. NLSA Exemplary Schools comply with at least 90% of the indicators that quantify compliance with the national standards. In addition they must also:

• Be Christ-centered and service driven,
• Document an outstanding record of student preparation and academic success,
• Be perceived positively in their community,
• Serve satisfied stakeholders, and
• Demonstrate innovative leadership through specific “Best Practices.”

At the National Accreditation Commission meeting in August 2009, a total of 101 schools were accredited for the first time or re-accredited. Five of those schools were nominated for Exemplary Status consideration. Over the course of the 2009-10 academic year, the nominated schools prepared additional supporting documentation. A validation team visited each school to confirm their quality and validate “Best Practices.” As a result, all five schools received the Exemplary Status award. NLSA exemplary schools play a vital role in the assembly of a “menu of Best Practices” that may be replicated by other LCMS schools.

A new School Ministry E-bulletin has been set up to inform those involved in School Ministry about new developments. Mr. Bill Cochran, Director of School Ministry plans to send out this news letter periodically.

Here's how to subscribe. Click Here which will take you to the LCMS "e-News" page. Once there, either sign up as a "New Subscriber" and setup an account, or, if you are already an "e-News Subscriber" log in and add one or more of our e-Bulletins to your subscription list.

What is "Classical Education?" Do Lutheran Schools use the Classical Education Approach?
To find out the answer to these questions and to learn more about Classical Education, Click Here.

Want to Share Your School's Web Site? Many Lutheran schools have developed their own web sites and want to share these sites and their ministry to children and families with others. Previously we've listed some sites here. To streamline the Web posting process and avoid repetition, we now provide a link to the main LCMS School Web site directory.

Also, we have also put together a guide to assist Lutheran Schools in producing a top quality Web site. Click here for more information

Click here to view the listing of LCMS School Web sites.

Attention School Administrators, Development Directors, School Board members and others interested in financial development. An exciting new online resource has been developed jointly by DCS and LEA to assist you in learning more about financial development. Click Here to visit this Web site.

Ways to support School Ministry projects.  Click Here for more information