History
Christian education has long been a priority for the community of believers in and around Dutton. Students from the Dutton CRC began attending Cutlerville Christian School in 1938. As the number of students from the Dutton CRC began to grow, so did the need to provide reliable transportation. In time, it was becoming clear that a new school in Dutton was becoming necessary. To that end, on April 15, 1953, the Dutton Christian School Association was formed to address the immediate need for more transportation to the Cutlerville School and to begin the process of planning for the new school in Dutton.
An unexpected gift of $30,000 allowed the construction to move forward much earlier than expected. The first building was dedicated in July of 1955 in what is now the Kindergarten hallway.
On September 7, 1955, Dutton Christian School opened its doors to 78 1st grade through 9th grade students taught by four faculty members. Kindergarten was added in 1956.
In 1963, another construction phase nearly doubled the size of the school. However, it was not until the Dutton CRC was built just north of the elementary building that we had access to a gymnasium. Additions and renovations were completed at the elementary building in 1977, 1982, and 2003, including a music room addition in 2002. The middle school (now our North Campus) was built and completed for classes in August 1988.
Jane Blacquiere started Noah’s Ark PreKindergarten program as a private business in 1985 in a large room at Providence CRC. Noah’s Ark began with one class of 24 students. In 1986, Dutton Christian School rented space to Noah’s Ark PreKindergarten and the following year, Dutton Christian’s school board decided to add Noah’s Ark to the school. As the program continued to grow, a 3-year-old program was added. In the fall of 2019, a nature-based class was introduced with an outdoor classroom known as a playscape added to the South Campus. As of 2021, we had over 130 students enrolled in our PreKindergarten programs.
The early 1990’s proved to be a very challenging time in the history of Dutton Christian School. We faced declining enrollment, large debt, and increasing costs. Additionally, the 9th grade class shifted to South Christian High School in 1992.
In 2005, DCS implemented a long-range strategic plan that helps analyze our current strengths and weaknesses, study internal and external data, and identify critical issues facing our school. This process occurs every three – four years and has been extremely valuable. We have created committees and task forces to address our critical needs. Out of this process came our land acquisition committee. During the 2015-16 school year, the Schilder building and surrounding land were purchased from the American Reformed Church. This building was demolished in the summer of 2016. A house on 68th Street adjacent to the North Campus parking lot was purchased during that time.
Since 2012, DCS has experienced a period of tremendous growth which has led to several capital campaigns to provide classroom space for our students. Over the past decade, our PreKindergarten – 8th grade enrollment has grown from 486 students in 2012 to over 820 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year. With this growth, different classes were offered such as the 3-day, progressive, and 5-day kindergarten options (2015) and we currently have three sections of each grade 1st – 8th. By God’s gracious hand, we have been able to remain debt-free through each of these building projects.
Beyond These Walls – $1.2 Million
Two early childhood classrooms, newly paved parking lots, renovated office and computer space, removed portable classrooms. Three classrooms were built on the east side of the South Campus (completed in 2011).
Build Today, Impact Tomorrow – $1.2 Million
Move the office area to the front of the building, add two classrooms, add a gym storage room, replace the gym floor, and purchase adjacent land. Additionally, all the classroom windows and exterior doors with glass were replaced and the parking lot was resurfaced (completed in 2014).
Footprints of Faith – $3.3 Million
Construction began around November 1, 2017 and in August 2018 we opened nine new classrooms, three learning hubs, and expanded the parking lot.
Expanding our Footprint – $5 Million
This campaign consisted of three components. The addition of 4 classrooms and three learning hubs on the north campus. This gives us the classroom space to have three sections of each grade level K-8 (anticipated completion 2021). This money also allows us to pursue buying adjacent property which is anticipated to become available and complete interior renovations to the north campus. At this time, 4.2 million has been collected toward our goal.
