As the first students to attend Monroe County Christian School eight years ago are now preparing for graduation in the near future, school leaders have their sights set on a permanent home.

Last month, MCCS announced it was launching a $20 million capital campaign in an effort to raise funds for construction of a 40,605 square-foot facility on 21 acres just east of the Waterloo Country Club.

The proposal includes plans for a building to house 15 classrooms, serving students from kindergarten through grade 12.

MCCS, a private, non-denominational Christian school, began in August 2018 at Momentum Church on Rapp Street in Columbia and only served kindergarten through second grade students.

During this school year, MCCS has boasted curriculum for grades K-12 at its current campus in the HOPE Christian Church building on Coach Stop Road between Columbia and Waterloo. 

The school completed an expansion project ahead of the 2023-24 school year which moved grades 6-8 to a remodeled lower-level section of the HOPE facility.

Even as it has adapted to increased enrollment, the school has faced logistical constraints by operating in borrowed and temporary spaces, including limited classroom availability, restricted specialty instruction areas and reduced capacity for extracurricular programming.

The Build Boldly campaign is designed to address these limitations while preparing the school for sustained growth.

Through its capital campaign, the school aspires to add dedicated science, art and music instructional spaces, a library and media center, a full cafeteria and kitchen, a gymnasium for athletics and school gatherings, flexible learning environments for collaborative and specialized instruction in addition to administrative and student support offices.

The project also includes the establishment of a $1 million endowment fund to help ensure long-term financial sustainability and operational stability for the school.

In addition to consolidating operations, increased instructional capacity and enhanced student experience, the campaign is designed to provide room for continued enrollment growth.

Since 2018, MCCS enrollment has increased by approximately 700 percent, according to a press release shared Tuesday by the school.

The growth reflects “rising demand among families in Monroe County and the greater St. Louis region for faith-based, academically rigorous education,” the release continued.

“This growth didn’t happen by accident,” said MCCS Principal Kim Wright. “It has been driven by parents who value strong academics grounded in biblical principles, and by a community that believes in investing in the next generation.”

School leaders had been looking for property in Monroe County for some time, but no action was taken until six tracts of undeveloped property were auctioned in late October 2024.

Later that year, the school secured two of those parcels along Rogers Street just east of the Waterloo Country Club, with one lot to the north and the other to the south of the intersection of Rogers Street and Country Club Lane. 

The parcels in unincorporated Monroe County are the planned site for MCCS’s new, permanent home.

During the school’s 2025 Christmas program, MCCS Board Chairman Will Hesterberg announced   the balance on the properties had been paid in full, paving the way for the school to begin its capital campaign in earnest.

“This campaign is about more than bricks and mortar,” Wright said. “It represents the faith, commitment, and vision of families who believe deeply in Christ-centered education and the long-term impact it has on children and the broader community.”

For more information about MCCS, or to learn more about contributing to the school’s capital campaign, visit mccschool.net or call 618-939-6227.