Ankeny Christian Academy
Coordinates: 41°43′56″N 93°37′20″W / 41.732353°N 93.622338°W
Ankeny Christian Academy (ACA) is a public Christian school located in Ankeny, Polk County, Iowa. It is an independent, non-denominational school serving students from Preschool through 12th grade. The school is accredited by the state of Iowa.
Vision statement
"The vision of Ankeny Christian Academy is that our high school graduates will attain an excellent Christ centered education that will lead them to live both morally and ethically and will successfully prepare their families according to the standards of Christ as they assume their adult roles in society and carry out the principles of the Great Commission."
History
ACA began in February 1992 when a small group of concerned parents started praying about their children's education. With a $500.00 donation and a lot of faith they started looking for a building and staff. In August 1993, meeting in a church, ACA opened with 27 students and 3 teachers in grades kindergarten through 6. For the next seven years the school rented rooms in several churches and a remodeled warehouse office building. In the spring of 2000 it purchased property at 1604 West 1st St. as its permanent location. ACA added secondary grades in the fall of 1996. The first senior class graduated in 2000.
Sports
The junior high and high school sports program includes boys and girls golf, track and field, cross-country, girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball, and football. The athletic teams are called the Eagles. The school is a member of the Bluegrass Conference.
Facilities
In April 2000 the school purchased a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) strip mall at 1604 West 1st Street, Ankeny, Iowa. It remodeled most of the facility into a school.[1]
After initial remodeling the facility included 13 classrooms, a chapel/auditorium seating 360, a computer room, a recreation/physical education room, a music room, a library, and a lunchroom and kitchen. The preschool was completed in January 2002 with three additional classrooms and an office. A gymnasium was completed in November 2003, with the addition of locker rooms in 2008 and a weight room in 2009 but is now used as a storage room. A new secondary science lab opened in August 2009. In 2010 more space was converted from tenants to school; there are architectural plans to eventually convert the entire facility for the school's sole use.[1]
In 2015-2016, the school began construction on the west wing, converting former tenant areas to classroom, office, and storage spaces. This space was open for student and faculty use in the fall of 2016.
Admission requirement
Each ACA student must come from a home where at least one parent or guardian is a professing born-again Christian.