- School History

The Pioneer Valley Christian School, formerly the East Longmeadow Christian Day School, was conceived in 1970 by a group of concerned parents and leaders at the First Baptist Church in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, whose convictions led them to create a Christian alternative to secular education.

The school was organized, chartered, and established in 1972, opening in September of that year in the facilities of the First Baptist Church with eighteen students in grades 1-4, a headmaster, and one teacher.

PVCS continued to grow and, in 1975, established a high school for grades 9-12. The 1983-84 school year proposed a challenge with the need for PVCS to relocate grades K-8. The school was finally able to secure space in the Bethesda Lutheran Church and the Church of the Nazarene, both in Springfield.

During the spring of 1984, negotiations were begun for the purchase of Ursuline Academy, our present campus. The school was a modern facility, fully equipped with a home on the 25-acre campus. It appeared that the purchase of the school would be financially impossible; but the parents, believing that nothing is too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:17), joined together and pledged $300,000 over three years to permit us to step out in faith for $900,000, the purchase price. The school moved into the facility in August of 1985.

During the ensuing three years, enrollment and the total program continued to grow. PVCS joined the New England Christian School Athletic Conference (at present, we are associated with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) for athletic competition and increased participation in Association of Christian Schools International student activities. The Discovery Center, a ministry to students with learning differences, was established in 1987 and a Resource Room (now called Structured Study) in 1989. In the 1989-90 school year, the administration, faculty, and staff completed the arduous task of self-study in preparation for accreditation. PVCS is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The school has been blessed with parents who are committed to this ministry of Christian education. Since we came to our new facility, crews from the Ondrick Construction Company in Chicopee, Massachusetts, were sent to clear land and create seven acres of athletic fields, including a baseball field and an 8,250 square-yard soccer field. PVCS also installed a playground for our elementary program and an outdoor tennis court complex with four courts and multiple basketball hoops.

As we looked to the future and our continued growth, PVCS implemented an aggressive building project. The first phase was completed in 2004 adding six new classrooms to our elementary wing. The second phase was a new 17,000 square-foot addition to our building called the Center for Science and the Arts, which opened in the fall of 2009. This addition includes a new, state-of-the-art science lab and lecture hall, art room, technology room, music rooms for choral and instrumental instruction, a multi-purpose room, and additional classrooms.

Pioneer Valley Christian School is committed to our mission of offering a thorough Christian education. PVCS strives for excellence in academics and for the true mastery of facts, principles, and skills taught from a Biblical perspective.