Since it opened its doors in 1968 with 74 students in grades K-6, to its current enrollment of over 1300 students in preschool through 12th grade, FCS sends more than 90% of its graduates to colleges, universities and other higher education opportunities. FCS offers more year-long UC-approved courses per student capita than any school from Walnut Creek to the greater San Jose area.

Accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges and Association of Christian Schools International, Fremont Christian School added a grade level each year from 1972 to 1976, and graduated its first senior class in 1976 with a total enrollment of 691 students.

“It has been a privilege for FCS to offer the Tri-Cities community a place to send thousands of children for academic advancement, moral teaching, and personal development,” said Ken Rankin, Co-Founder and Superintendent since 1968.

A Facility to Serve the Community

The 16.5 acre property on Thornton Avenue where Fremont Christian School is currently located was an accumulation of seven land purchases over 35 years. The three structures which existed when originally purchased in 1971 have been remodeled and expanded. Additional buildings have been constructed including an auditorium, gymnasium, activities building, youth building, preschool building, elementary building and additional classrooms. The campus now has a total of 16 buildings.

Ninety Percent of Fremont Christian Graduates Pursue Higher Education

Close to 80 percent of FCS graduates have been eligible to attend the California State University, far above the state norm of 33 percent, and 30 percent of graduates have been UC-eligible, exceeding the state norm of 13 percent. Ninety percent of FCS graduates have gone on to pursue higher education.

Additionally, across California only 2-3% of high school seniors are eligible to attend UC Berkeley, but 7% of FCS graduates have been accepted to UC Berkeley over the past six years. FCS students experience a wide-variety of extracurricular activities that might not be available to them if they were competing against hundreds and sometimes thousands of other students in a different school environment. Classes have been structured to offer students the opportunity to participate both in athletics and fine arts, rather than forcing a choice of one or the other.

“The class sizes and the curriculum at FCS helped me in developing great study and intellectual skills. However, the ability to be involved in different extra-curricular events helped me to develop great interpersonal and relational skills,” said 1992 Alumnus Glenn Matlock. “By far though, the relationships with faculty that I was able to build help to reinforce a positive self-awareness in my life. They challenged me to be the man I am today.”

Matlock earned a BS in General Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY in 1996; an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri in 2000; and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts in 2007.

In addition to offering the opportunities for academic achievement and athletic involvement, FCS also offers excellent opportunities for spiritual enrichment and character formation.

“I credit FCS for helping instill in my life a moral code that has helped guide and propel my life ever since,” said 1983 alumnus Brett Souza. Souza graduated from Vanguard University in 1997 and earned his JD from Marquette University Law School in 1995. Brett co-founded UniReach International Inc., a non-profit organization working among and improving the working, living, medical and health care condition of needy persons in developing countries throughout the world.

Research shows that students are more successful when they connect with instructors and feel a sense of belonging. FCS has that family environment that offers students the opportunity to build quality relationships. “FCS was a great atmosphere for me. I came from a single-parent home, and the teachers stepped up and played a big part of my life,” said 1982 alumnus Matthew Valci. Valci recently won his second Emmy for Outstanding Editing in Sports for TNT. He is the Senior Editor/Composer at Turner Studios.

1981 alumnus Jeffrey Schatz added, “FCS was an important part of my life and still is to this day. The lessons I learned there not only prepared me academically for college and graduate school, but helped to ground me for all of life’s challenges. FCS will always have a special place in my heart.” Schatz earned a BA in Social Work from Northwest Nazarene University in 1986 and a MA in Community Counseling from Albertson College in 1995. His career in Social Services has included directing a multitude of programs from family counseling to adoptions and foster-care.