Dear UCA Community,
We are excited to announce an upcoming change that will unite UCA’s upper and lower schools, consolidate resources, and allow us to continue our commitment to exceptional Christ-centered education in the Bloomington community.
A New Home and Partnership:
Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, UCA will be moving into the spacious former Seven Hills Preparatory Academy location within Cedar Valley Church (CVC). UCA has outgrown the building capacity at Hillside church but we are not large enough to support expenses required of two separate campuses. CVC has a capacity for 600 students which will allow us to continue to grow in coming years. This strategic relocation offers numerous advantages:
Consolidated Campus: We will reunite all UCA students in a single, fully-equipped facility providing a stronger sense of community, cost savings, and the potential to grow grade levels as our community expands.
Shared Vision: CVC has been blessed with an incredible space for educational ministry as its campus was originally built as a school. They have long wanted a Christian school presence on their campus. Like UCA, they have been pursuing accessible, high-quality Christian education through their newly developed Vanguard Academy. We are honored that they have laid down their pursuit of starting a new Christian school and are choosing to partner with UCA instead.
Bloomington and Beyond: The shared vision between UCA and CVC allows us to pursue the goal of maintaining a permanent “North” campus while simultaneously focusing on our Lakeville expansion. CVC is committed to a long-term partnership that will allow us to retain a more permanent presence in Bloomington. We desire for a Pre-K-8 campus to remain at CVC after the Lakeville campus is completed. We will continue to provide updates on the Lakeville campus as we have them.
A Collaborative Spirit:
This pivotal move is a long-awaited answer to prayer and a testament to God’s guiding hand. This move will allow us to reach more families with affordable, quality Christian education. With God's guidance and the support of our community, we are poised to impact the communities of the South Metro.
We have been blessed to partner with Hillside for over 20 years and BGU for the last year. We have been able to continue towards our mission of exceptional Christian education in the south metro because of them. At the same time, we are grateful for the commitment and vision demonstrated by CVC leadership. CVC’s initial work with Vanguard Academy has paved the way for establishing a Christian school on its campus. While UCA retains its autonomy and governance, CVC’s desire to partner in ministry to students is clearly evident. We are excited to explore joint educational and ministry opportunities as we share space on the CVC campus.
More Information to Come:
We know you may have questions, and we are committed to providing clarity. Please join us for a community meeting and open house at the CVC campus on the evening of March 21st. We will share more details about this exciting transition, enrollment, and our vision for the future.
If you have specific questions you would like answered at the Community Meeting, please send them to board@ucathunder.org by March 17. We will be offering the opportunity to sign up to help with the move and facility preparation over the summer. Please be thinking about how your family can help.
In His service,
The UCA School Board and Leadership Team