Frequently Asked Questions

1.         What athletics are students involved in?

               Although we have not developed a program here at the school yet, we encourage our

               students to be involved in local athletics. 

               We have students that are involved a wide range of athletics in this regard.

2.

How much is the tuition to attend Downeast Christian School?

There is no financial cost for enrollment at Downeast Christian School.  Although the expenses to run the school are very high, the price has been paid in full by Jesus Christ on the cross.

Our only “tuition” is attendance at two services a month (either Sunday morning, Sunday evening or Thursday evening) at Calvary Chapel Downeast.  We do this because we want families with students at our school to know us and what we are all about.  If parents do not meet this mandatory requirement, then unfortunately we are forced to disenroll their child.

3.

Is the school accredited?

No.  This is so for several reasons.  Because we have chosen to have a free school, and trust God to provide for our financial needs, we are by definition not financially viable.  For example, the School Accreditation Manual for the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) has a standard which states: “The school must demonstrate that it has the financial resources to fulfill its mission and programs …”.  We cannot demonstrate achievement of this standard, because we have no control over financial resources.  We never know how much money will come in to cover church and school expenses.  Therefore we would not meet this standard.  Secondly, we do not feel that being accredited would make us a better school.  For example, the “worst” public school in Maine (where worst is defined as highest illiteracy rate, highest drop out rate, most disciplinary problems, highest crime rate, etc) is in all likelihood fully accredited.

4.

Then what is the difference between accredited and non-accredited schools?

Accredited schools have gone through a lengthy and expensive accreditation process to show that they have met the accrediting agency’s guidelines.  Each accrediting agency is somewhat different.  There is a strong belief in the media that accredited schools are by definition “better” than non-accredited schools.  We do not believe that this is true.

5.

Will the school’s non-accreditation affect my child’s chances of getting into college or of transferring to another school?

No.    Colleges evaluate possible enrollment based on scores on standardized tests (which we will offer), class ranking, grade point average and extracurricular activities.  Also, our students transfer into other schools with no problems.  When a student transfers, the new school sends us a request for student records and we provide them to them.