Montana’s nickname is the Treasure State. Five Falls Christian School (FFCS) is one of the state’s educational treasures in Seventh-day Adventist education. Located in Great Falls, Mont., it is considered a small school, with two teachers and about 25–28 students. The school offers kindergarten through eighth grade, providing multigrade, family-style classrooms with impressive teacher-to-student ratios due to the strong support from parents, families and church members.
One of the parents has shared, “The small class size creates a supportive community of friends and parents that love to donate their time and talents to enrich my children’s learning experiences. We wouldn’t trade it.”
Do small schools make an impact on a student’s growth? Another parent shared her daughter’s experience, stating, “Our teachers are awesome. Each child is met where they are spiritually, emotionally and academically. The teachers work with each student and play to their strengths, while working on their individual weaknesses. My daughter was two years behind in reading, and the teacher worked with her and brought her up to grade level — a three-year growth in one year. We are extremely happy with the education our children are receiving at FFCS.”
At Five Falls Christian School, God is continuously blessing and providing, working out His divine will through faculty and students alike. The Bible and its sacred themes are woven throughout the interactive curriculum, and students are guided by adults deeply invested in their education and salvation. In fact, the school’s motto is "An Education That Makes an Eternal Difference."
As part of this education, both classrooms take part in community service activities once a month. These activities include reading to the dogs and cats at the local animal shelter; sorting donations at St. Vincent de Paul; and singing, playing games,and reading to residents at a local nursing home. The students look forward to this monthly outreach. In between, the students may be found making cards of encouragement for sick people or deployed military members.
School supporters believe in building a solid spiritual foundation in early childhood, one that will keep children steady and unmoved as they grow. They strongly trust this biblical wisdom from Prov. 22:6, which says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (KJV). Another supportive parent stated, “We love Five Falls because it provides top-notch academics combined with a Christ-centered biblical worldview.”
Additional comments from parents reflect the array of activities offered at FFCS, “My boys like all the extra things at FFCS: lots of field trips, swimming lessons, ski days and LEGO robotics!”
Five Falls Christian School is only one example of the exemplary Seventh-day Adventist education taking place in Montana. Come experience the difference a small school can make!
Reading to dogs and cats at the local animal shelter is one of the community services activites Five Falls Christian School students participate in.
Classrooms take part in community service activities such as singing, playing games and reading to residents at a local nursing home.
