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The school will welcome students to a permanent home on a 60-acre campus at 16227 Batchellors Forest Road in Olney.

Until now, the school has held classes in rented school sites in Wheaton, Colesville and Aspen Hill.

Despite the turbulence of moving from place to place, especially in recent years, Headmaster Larry Danner said it all worked out.

"If you gave me a map of the D.C. metropolitan area and asked me where I would want to build a private, Christian school, I would say Olney," he said. "Money Magazine ranked it one of the top communities to live in and it is a wonderful family-oriented place. The location and access is great, and it's just beautiful."

Returning students are looking forward to the start of school at the new campus.

"The new campus embodies the quality of life experienced at WCA," said senior Carina Osborn, an Olney resident. "I couldnêt be more excited to start my last year of high school at such an amazing building, with awesome teachers and a great location."

The road to Olney

In the 1950s, members of the Washington D.C. Christian Reformed Church, Knox Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Wallace Presbyterian Church made plans for a school in the Reformed Christian tradition, serving a racially and economically diverse community.

In 1960, Washington Christian School opened its doors in a small building in Wheaton.

In 1982, the school moved into a larger facility in Wheaton — a surplus Montgomery County Public Schools building off Arcola Avenue. Students and staffed remained there until 2005 when the school system reclaimed the space.

For the past three years, classes were held in space rented from two churches, Global Mission Church in Aspen Hill and Colesville Baptist Church in Colesville.

The school now has a place to call its own.

"The warm and supportive reception from the Olney community has been encouraging," Danner said. "It is our desire for the school to become a hub of family and community life in Olney. We are looking forward to an ongoing relationship with the families, businesses, churches and civic organizations in the area."

The $30 million project took 18 months to complete and includes a 65,000-square-foot academic building, a gymnasium, two athletic fields and ample green space.

The three-story academic building includes 30 classrooms, music and fine arts rooms, science labs, an art gallery/reception area, a chapel, a faculty lounge, two dining areas and a media center.

Each of the three stories is designated for the students it will house: the lower school, the middle school and the high school.

In addition to academic space, each floor has space for the students to gather.

"We want this to be more than a school," Danner said.

He said the high school floor features a coffeehouse, where he envisions students congregating in the evenings playing their guitars.

There is also a lounge for parents to congregate on the main floor.

"We don't bolt our doors during the day or anything; we want parents to come in and feel welcome," he said.

This fits in with the school's philosophy of living together in the community.

"It's not just about the education we provide," Danner said. "Everyone teaches math, science and history. It's the experience we provide along with the education."

Danner said Washington Christian Academy provides a "reverent, adventurous and academically serious education" for students in grades kindergarten through 12 from throughout the area.

"'Academic excellence' is a standard, but we say, ‘academic seriousness' because it is an attitude and it is perpetual," he said.

"Year after year we have kids getting perfect scores on SATs and getting accepted to the best colleges and service academies," he added.

Danner said the school had enjoyed a steady growth in student population until it lost its space in Wheaton.

"After that, it was kind of hard to attract new families when you are in a church basement," he said.

The school's enrollment is 310 students with plans to expand to 528 over the next five years.

"Our move to the Olney community has made a tremendous impact in the number of applicants to our school," said Jan Adams, director of admission. "The new location coupled with our educational philosophy makes us a very attractive choice for many families in the community."

The opening of school completes the first phase of construction. Eventually, plans call for Washington Christian Academy to build five additional buildings, creating the feel of a college campus and allowing enrollment to increase to 1,100 students.

Danner said there is no timetable for the future expansion, although he imagines it could take up to 10 years to complete.