History
Shiloh Christian School was founded in 1976 as a ministry of the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Arkansas, under the leadership of Pastor Cliff Palmer. The Board Minutes of March 24, 1976 indicate that Mr. Oakley Long was hired as the first superintendent. The school opened in Fall 1976 with fifteen workers. One hundred eighty students from kindergarten - 6th grade were enrolled. A new grade was added each year. The school graduated its first high school class in 1983, with twelve students.
In 1979, the First Baptist Church of Springdale moved from its downtown location to its present 72-acre site on Johnson Road. The school has benefited from this growth with its additional classrooms, a 2,900 seat Worship Center, a 300-seat chapel, a 1,400 seat basketball facility, new locker rooms and indoor training facilities, band and choir rooms, a football stadium, turfed baseball field, and a new 27 classroom elementary building addition.
In 2011, the First Baptist Church of Springdale formally changed its name to Cross Church.
Cross Church shows continued support of Shiloh Christian School. In the early years, the church budgeted funds to subsidize the operations of the school. Currently, approximately 99% of the operating income of Shiloh Christian School comes from tuition and fees. The school enjoys substantial financial support from Cross Church, which has never charged the school for using the church's facilities and utilities. That support today is valued at over a million dollars per year.
Shiloh Christian School received its first accreditation in 1992. It is accredited by ACSI - Association of Christian Schools International, ANSAA - Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association, and NCA - North Central Association on Accreditation.
Currently, Shiloh serves over 1,600 students from PreK4 - 12th grade from all over Northwest Arkansas. About half of the student body are members of Cross Church. The remainder represent over 70 other churches from various denominations.
All Shiloh employees are professing born-again Christians, and full-time employees must be active members of Cross Church. Full-time Shiloh employees with school-age children are required to send them to Shiloh Christian School. This gives the employees a vested interest in the success of the school. The Board provides full tuition waivers for the children of full-time Shiloh faculty, which is a major incentive for the employees.
Shiloh Christian School has grown into a strong and viable Christian ministry that is preparing its students for the challenges of the 21st century. Shiloh was voted Best of the Best NWA in the Private School Division for the past 9 years. Whether it is through challenging Advanced Placement and college classes, championship athletic teams, exemplary fine-arts programs, or service to God's Kingdom, Shiloh Christian students receive a well-rounded education in a distinctly Christian environment. Everyone at Shiloh Christian is looking with great anticipation to the future and to what God has planned for our school.