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Mountain Home Christian Academy has achieved full accreditation after a two-year process, a milestone that administrator Doyne Byrd celebrated during the State of Education Breakfast last week.
“We are very proud to achieve full accreditation this summer,” Byrd told attendees at the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday.
The school, which serves 206 students representing 41 different churches in the area, received accreditation through Cognia, an organization that evaluates schools based on internationally recognized standards of educational quality. The process evaluates every aspect of a school, from teaching and learning to leadership culture and continuous improvement.
Byrd, who became administrator two years ago, said the school has grown significantly from its founding in the late 1970s at Emmanuel Church on Highway 5 North. After moving between several host churches over the years, the school built its current campus on Glenbriar Avenue in 2006.
“When I became the administrator two years ago, I walked into a fourth grade teacher’s class with about 15 students, which is about where we max out at,” Byrd said. “She told me her first year in our current location, she had five students, and she had third and fourth and fifth grade.”
The accreditation also allows families to access Educational Freedom Accounts provided by the LEARNS Act, which makes the school more accessible to families who couldn’t previously afford private education. The state provides roughly $7,000 per student through the EFA program this year.
“Accreditation also allows our families access to Educational Freedom Accounts that are provided by the LEARNS Act, which makes us even more accessible,” Byrd said at the breakfast.
The school’s accreditation comes as its tuition has increased by $4,470 over the past year, from $3,780 to $8,250 for K-12 students. According to an Arkansas Advocate analysis, this represents the fourth-largest increase among Arkansas private schools participating in the state’s Educational Freedom Account program.
When asked about the tuition increase via email, Byrd said it was necessary after the school operated at a deficit for two years and faced rising operational costs.
“The tuition adjustment allows us to operate responsibly while continuing to invest in the quality of education we provide,” Byrd wrote in his email response.
The school has added certified teachers in art, music and physical education, increased time for its certified reading specialist, and hired a certified school counselor. Mountain Home Christian Academy also expanded high school electives to include internships and Spanish classes.
Byrd said in his email that the school had to raise compensation to attract and retain qualified educators, “something that was not possible under our previous tuition structure.”
The school also faced substantial increases in insurance costs and general operating expenses, he wrote.
While tuition increased significantly, Byrd noted in his email that the new rate is more inclusive than previous years. The $8,250 tuition now includes books, uniforms, athletic fees and technology fees that families previously paid separately.
“Under the new structure, all of these costs are included, giving families clarity and consistency in what they pay,” Byrd wrote.
The school currently provides scholarships to about 12 percent of its students through fundraising, donations and support from local churches. Its largest fundraiser is an annual father-daughter ball and mother-son knight event held at ASU-Mountain Home’s Vada Sheid Community Development Center, which brings in about 1,000 participants each spring.
At the breakfast, Byrd said the school’s vision remains focused on its core mission: “To educate minds, shepherd hearts, and graduate disciples.”
The school operates as a non-denominational Christian institution with a composite team structure. Students participate in mission trips, with juniors and seniors required to attend at least one. This year’s group will travel to Guatemala during spring break to build a house in four days.
“When we say our vision is to educate minds, shepherd hearts and graduate disciples, we mean it,” Byrd said at the event. “We don’t just want students who can pass a test. We want young men and women who stand firm in their faith and who can persevere when life is hard.”
Mountain Home Christian Academy’s tuition increase is part of a broader trend among private schools participating in the EFA program. According to the Advocate’s analysis, the average tuition increase among the 93 schools that have participated in all three years of the program was about $1,400.
The Educational Freedom Account program has grown significantly since its creation, with 44,599 students approved for participation this year compared to about 5,000 in its first year and 12,000 last year.
