History
History and Mission
In the late 1970’s Pastor McMillan of First Baptist Church in Richland, WA met with a group of parents to discuss the possibility of starting a Tri-Cities area Christian school. Liberty Christian School (LCS) opened in the fall of 1980 with approximately eighty students and a core of dedicated parents who wanted to “provide a Biblically-based education, marked by academic excellence, in a nurturing atmosphere; where students are encouraged to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and live committed Christian lives.” (LCS Mission Statement)
As the school grew, it was released by First Baptist Church in the late 1980s to become an independent private Christian school for the Tri-Cities community. It met in various churches and rented rooms for a time from the Richland School District. A public-school building, which had been mothballed by the local school district, was partially destroyed by fire and provided the opportunity for LCS to purchase the facilities on a beautiful 19-acre campus in the heart of Richland. Following extensive restoration of the building over a couple of years, K4 through sixth grade held their first classes in their very own facility in the fall of 2000. Three years later, the entire school, K4-12, was finally housed on the same campus.
During the early 2000s, Liberty experienced growth like many Christian schools. The nationwide recession of 2008-2009 brought many financial challenges. The people of LCS prayed and sacrificed, and by God’s grace, the school continued to offer an option for those valuing Christian education. From its high point of enrollment prior to the recession, the school suffered a loss of several hundred students. In the early 2010’s, the enrollment stabilized at between 410-370 annually. With strategic decisions to implement continuous enrollment and variable tuition models, the school’s response to the covid pandemic and cultural shifts, and continuous, intentional prayer, LCS has seen steady growth since 2019 and serves 610+ students from the Tri-Cities area.
Liberty Christian School offers a robust academic and elective program, a variety of competitive athletic programs, and a host of extracurricular activities including student clubs and community service opportunities. Before- and after-school care is offered for students of working parents.
The school joined ACSI in 1991 and was granted accreditation with ACSI in 2005. Accreditation through the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) was attained in 2006. The school’s dual accreditation was renewed in 2012, and most recently in 2025 with both ACSI and Cognia, using the INSPIRE protocol.
LCS currently has a board of 7 members and over 75 ministry partner employees including administration, faculty, and support staff. Liberty Christian School is located in Richland, Washington which is part of the greater Tri-Cities area and serves students throughout the communities of West Richland, Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco, as well as surrounding communities. The school’s demographics most closely reflect the city of Richland, where the school geographically resides. Liberty’s annual operating budget is $6 million.
We are thankful for God’s blessing in over 45 years of ministry in preparing global ambassadors for Christ.
