Elementary School (PK3-5th)
OCS offers elementary (PK3 through 4th) and upper-elementary (5th and 6th) grades.
In the OCS Pre-K and Kindergarten programs, classes are divided both by age and appropriate developmental stage. For enrollment in our PreK program, a child should be three years old by September 30 and potty trained. The Pre-K and Kindergarten curriculum includes classroom instruction, vocal music, Bible stories, structured physical education classes and age-appropriate playgrounds.
Each elementary class is limited in size (15-20) and taught by a certified teacher. Each PreK and K class also is assigned a teacher’s aide.
The elementary school provides a challenging curriculum designed to prepare students for our middle school academic program. We offer a traditional scope-and-sequence focus and use a variety of curricula, including Heggerty Phonics, BJU Press, Saxon, Tara West, McGraw Hill Wonders, and Abeka materials. In addition to classroom instruction, students have Bible classes, weekly chapel assemblies, a structured physical education class, music classes and frequent educational class field trips.
Students in grades 4-6 can participate in the 4-H program. After-school art classes also are available.
Students in grades K-6 take the Iowa Assessment Program via paper and pencil. Results from this test are tracked across the years, and upper levels correlate with the ACT test. These features enable us both to track individual student progress and be included in a national cohort of non-public schools under the umbrella of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), providing a standard of comparison among other, similar schools.