Private Middle School in Clearwater FL

If you are looking for the ideal private middle school in Clearwater, FL, that upholds strong moral principles alongside its academic standards, look no further than Lakeside Christian School. Our caring and close-knit community provides all the resources your middle schooler needs to succeed. We are committed to academic excellence, fellowship, and helping our students reach their fullest potential.

Our Learning Community

At Lakeside Christian School, we provide small classrooms, accelerated curriculums, and brand-new learning technologies to facilitate each and every student’s academic growth. Middle school is such a critical time in a student’s development. As your child transitions out of their carefree elementary school mindset and approaches their teen years, it is especially important for them to be in an emotionally, mentally, and physically safe environment.

LCS employes a strict No Bullying policy and encourages students to be the best version of themselves every day. In order for children to excel academically, they must feel comfortable in their learning environment. We strive daily for our school to feel like a “home away from home” and a place of limitless opportunity.

College Preparatory Academics

Preparing your child for college begins at an early age. We believe in helping each student maximize his or her potential beginning in kindergarten. By the time they are in middle school, students tend to start forming more serious plans about their future. At LCS, we help ensure these dreams can be realized.

Our accelerated academics prepare middle schoolers for the realities of high school, which in turn prepares them for college. We believe challenging and encouraging students during this pivotal time keeps them focused on what they can achieve. Since 1975, we have been an esteemed private middle school in Clearwater, FL, widely recognized for our effective college preparatory program, first-rate academics, and caring community. We are proud to say that our high school has a 100% graduation rate and that we have sent countless students off to the college of their dreams.

Looking at Private Middle Schools in Clearwater, FL?

If you’re searching for private middle schools in Clearwater, FL, we invite you to take a look at LCS in action! We provide 1-on-1 tours, so parents can truly envision what their student’s day-to-day life would be like in our fun, challenging, and compassionate learning environment.

Worried about the cost of a private school education? Don’t be! We are a Step Up For Students participating school, so your child could receive a scholarship. Check out the Step Up website for details. For more information on Lakeside Christian School or to schedule a tour, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or fill out this form.

Best Private Schools in Clearwater FL

Welcome to Lakeside Christian School: one of the Best Private Schools in Clearwater, FL

Are you searching for the best private Christian schools in Clearwater, FL? Look no further than Lakeside Christian School. As a Christ-centered K-12 institution, we are dedicated to providing a nurturing environment where students excel academically, grow spiritually, and develop as confident leaders. Our small class sizes, individualized attention, and commitment to faith-based education set us apart as a top choice for families in Clearwater and beyond.

Why Choose Lakeside Christian School?

At Lakeside, we believe that education is more than academics—it’s about shaping the whole person. Here’s why families consistently rank us among the best private schools in Clearwater, FL:

1. Christ-Centered Education

Faith is at the heart of everything we do. From Bible-based curriculum to daily prayer and weekly chapel services, we help students develop a strong spiritual foundation. Our mission is to prepare students for success in life while instilling Christian values that guide their decisions and relationships.

2. Academic Excellence

Our rigorous academic programs challenge students to reach their full potential. Whether your child is just beginning their educational journey in kindergarten or preparing for college in our advanced high school courses, our dedicated teachers provide personalized support to meet each student’s needs.

3. Small Class Sizes and Individualized Attention

One of the hallmarks of Lakeside Christian School is our commitment to small class sizes. With a low student-to-teacher ratio, our educators can focus on each child’s strengths, challenges, and growth areas, creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Explore Our Programs: A Private School for Every Stage

Lakeside Christian School offers a robust K-12 program tailored to meet the unique needs of students at every stage of their educational journey.

• Elementary School (K-5):
  Our youngest learners build a strong academic and spiritual foundation through engaging lessons, hands-on activities, and caring teachers who nurture a love for learning.
• Middle School (6-8):
  The middle school years are a time of growth and exploration. We focus on academic preparation, character development, and opportunities for students to explore their talents through sports, arts, and leadership.
• High School (9-12):
  High school students benefit from a challenging curriculum, college preparation resources, and opportunities to deepen their faith. We prepare graduates for success in higher education and beyond.

Affordable Tuition and Scholarships

Private education is an investment in your child’s future, and we strive to make it accessible to all families. Lakeside Christian School participates in Florida’s Step Up for Students program. For more information, visit our tuition page.

Learn more about how you can make private education affordable by contacting our admissions office today. Call 727-261-0937 or email office@lakesidechristianschool.org

Engaging Athletics and Arts Programs

Lakeside’s athletics and fine arts programs enrich the student experience, teaching valuable life skills such as discipline, teamwork, and perseverance.

• Athletics: From middle school to varsity teams, our students excel in sports like soccer, basketball, volleyball, and baseball, competing against other private schools in Clearwater, FL. We also offer elementary sports pprograms on Saturday mornings.
• Fine Arts: Students can participate in visual arts, showcasing their talents in school art shows and local competitions.

Schedule a Tour of the Best Private School in Clearwater, FL

Discover why Lakeside Christian School is the right choice for your family. Schedule a personalized tour to experience our campus, meet our dedicated teachers, and see our programs in action.

Contact us today to learn more:
📧 Email Us office@lakesidechristianschool.org
📞 Call: (727) 261-0937

SAQs (Should-Ask Questions)

Certainly you’re familiar with the term “FAQs” (Frequently Asked Questions), but have you heard of SAQs? SAQs are “Should-Ask Questions.” What questions should you ask when searching for the perfect school for your child? Try these:

1. “How can you make this education affordable for me?” Instead of asking how much it costs and writing off a high-ticket education, ask instead how it can be made affordable. Some schools are free… and you get what you pay for. Some educations cost as much as a new car, and they expect you to pay every penny. But some schools, like ours, provide an excellent education that, while expensive, works with every single budget to make it affordable for anyone.
2. “Are your graduates prepared for college and career?” Don’t merely ask about graduation rates and GPAs. Those are deceptive. Rather, find out if graduates are prepared for life after high school. At LCS, we don’t try to make ourselves look good by handing out as many A grades as possible. Instead, we teach our students what is needed to succeed beyond high school.
3. “Can you help my child catch up or move ahead?” If your child is in elementary school, you’ll want to know how to either bring your child to grade level or how to help them excel farther. We have documented proof that we have been able to close academic gaps for students who come to us already behind, and many of those who are on grade level are propelling ahead!
4. “How invested is your staff?” It’s likely that at any school, the teachers will have experience and talent, as ours do. But beyond that, you’ll want to know if the staff is invested in their jobs and if they truly care for their students. Most of our staff attend our church and serve in some way, like AWANA or youth group. This means they choose to not only teach their students throughout the weekdays, but also choose to spend additional time with them some nights, teaching them even more important spiritual truths. Our staff cares not just about each student’s education, but more importantly, their soul.
5. “Will my child be safe?” There’s no way to guarantee with 100% certainty the safety of anyone. But you’ll want to know if your child will be both physically and emotionally safe, to the best of the school’s ability. At LCS, we do not tolerate bullying, either in school or online between our students. Teachers strive to stay aware of social interactions and the climate of their classrooms in order to keep their students safe.

These five questions will give you a good indication of a school’s heart, and whether or not they’d be a good fit for your child. We encourage you to schedule a personal tour with Lakeside Christian School today and ask these very questions!

Stuck Like Glue

Parents are happy with what we are doing at Lakeside Christian School.

How do we know this? We have an over 90% retention rate. Perhaps it’s purely academic: we are closing learning gaps among our elementary students. This means we are bringing most of those who were behind, up to and above grade level. Or it’s our desire to prepare all students for college and career, starting LONG before high school begins. Maybe it’s the fact that we teach each class and every subject from a biblical worldview. Or it could be the environment- safe and secure, with loving staff and a family feel. It could be any number of things, like our athletics or drama program, for example. But we believe it’s most likely the unique combination of all these things that makes Lakeside Christian School such a special place.

Schedule a tour today to find out what’s different about Lakeside Christian School, and why our families don’t just attend; they stick around.

New Intro Page

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Challenging Students to Achieve Their Academic, Social and Career-Minded Goals. Click Below to Learn More

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Elementary School

Accelerated Learning Division

Our elementary department includes our master, accelerated, and robust learning programs. These programs prepare students for higher education in middle school.

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Middle School

Rigorous Academic Division

Our middles school grades provides high school preparation programs, which includes algebra preparation, study skills, and writing preparation for high school and college.

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High School

College Prep Division

Our college preparation program is included in our high school grades. We provide core academic preparation, daily tutoring & homework assistance, and small class sizes.

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Prepare Now1

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College Readiness Prep starts in Elementary

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If you thought that preparation for college depended on the quality of your high school, you were misinformed. The most important years are from Kindergarten to 8th grade. [/no_vertical_marquee_item][no_vertical_marquee_item image=”11129″]

No time to wait

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Start a solid foundation

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Waiting until high school to address preparation gaps is too late for the majority of students who have fallen behind, particularly those who are far off track. Catching up those students is a daunting challenge even for the most effective high schools.[/no_vertical_marquee_item][no_vertical_marquee_item image=”11131″]

Don’t let your child fall behind

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Mastery of Foundational Skills is Non-negotiable

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A change in the traditional education process is required. A new recipe providing actionable data, student by student, that informs daily instruction in order to find and eliminate academic gaps, is what your student needs now.[/no_vertical_marquee_item][no_vertical_marquee_item image=”11068″]

Build a Solid Foundation

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Get them started on the right foot

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An effective blend of curriculum, methods, technology and educators, creating a path of successful content mastery are the key ingredients establishing a secure path toward college readiness.[/no_vertical_marquee_item][no_vertical_marquee_item image=”11069″]

Classes fill quickly-don’t wait!

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Enrollment for the Fall is Now Open

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Lakeside Christian School has moved in new and better directions in educating children from our community.

We invite you to tour our school to find out what we are doing to prepare many of your neighbors’ children for a bright future of educational opportunity.

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New Student Inquiries?

Contact us using the form below, or call our new student office at: (727) 239-7808

Already a student and have a question? Call our main office at: (727) 461-3311

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See What Parents Have to Say About
Lakeside Christian School

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Sources:

1. ACT. (2012). Catching Up to College and Career Readiness. Iowa City, IA: Author

2. ACT. (2008). The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that all students are on target for college and career readiness before high school. Iowa City, IA: Author.

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LCS Fine Arts Quick Facts

If you’d like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, please check out the rest of our website and book a free tour today!

LCS Athletics Quick Facts

We’ve already established Lakeside’s excellent academics and biblical foundation. You may want to know about some of our extracurricular activities. Here are ten quick facts about LCS athletics:

1. Lakeside’s varsity football team has made the FCAPPS state championship game four out of the last eight years.
2. Lakeside offers 24 sports teams for elementary, middle, and high school students.
3. Lakeside currently has six graduates playing college athletics.
4. 64% of  students participate in Lakeside Athletics.
5. There are six former Lakeside basketball players that have scored over 1,000 points during their high school careers at Lakeside.
6. From 1979 – 1985, the Lakeside boys soccer team won the Suncoast Christian Conference State Championship.
7. Since 2008, two Lakeside Football players have been awarded the FCAPPS league MVP.
8. In the last eight years, Lakeside has added six elementary sports teams: four middle school sports teams, and four varsity sports teams.
9. Next school year (2016-2017), Lakeside will add elementary soccer, baseball, flag football, volleyball, and basketball for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students.
10. Lakeside is a part of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) and the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial School (FCAPPS).

Lakeside Christian School has a talented and caring coaching staff that builds healthy relationships with the students while encouraging them to do their best, always for God’s glory. If your child enjoys athletics, consider booking a tour with LCS today and find out more about their athletic program!

Special thanks to our Athletic Director, James Coffman, for the information!

Step Up for Students

Step Up for Students scholarships is a product of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program that was started in 1998 to help lower-income families have a choice in where their children went to school. Since its inception, Step Up for Students scholarships has grown from serving 750 students to almost 80,000 statewide in Florida. The scholarship allows parents the opportunity to take their children to participating private schools if they felt they were not being served with quality in their local schools.

The Step Up for Students scholarship program is different because it targets students who tend to have the most limited options for improving the quality of their education. Research has shown that Step Up for Students scholarships serve primarily students who are low-performing, and the scholarships provide a way for parents to help their children find success.

Lakeside Christian School, a K-12 private school in Clearwater Florida, accepts students from the local Clearwater area whose parents qualify for the Step Up for Students scholarship.  The same advantages of educational quality available in private education that were out of reach to all except those with the financial means, is available now through the Step Up for Students scholarships and Lakeside Christian School.  The school provides all students with the process, program, and tools to accelerate their learning beyond the normal pace of mainstream education. Regardless of parent income, there is a large segment of students nationally and locally who have large gaps of un-mastered prior grade-level skills that hinder their success in high school and college, thus limiting their choices for career and limiting their lifelong earning potential.

According to Lakeside Christian School administrator, Jim Jensen, “The Step Up for Students scholarship allows our school to meet the intent of its mission and purpose statements: to reach out to all, in their surrounding neighborhoods, with an education quality that prospers the future of our community both spiritually and economically. Though the amount of the Step Up for Students scholarship has grown year by year, it still remains below the cost of providing private education delivered with a high degree of quality. We would be outside the boundary of what I believe Scripture mandates of us a followers of Jesus Christ if we served only those with the financial ability to cover the true cost of private education.”

Lakeside Christian School, Inc. is a ministry owned and operated by Lakeside Community Chapel at 1893 Sunset Pt. Rd. in Clearwater. Since 1975, they have provided an educational home for children of local parents who desire to have their students in a Christian environment, from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Located in a private setting well behind the church, Lakeside Christian School offers parents a safe, secure facility offering consistent quality of elementary and secondary education. Please visit our Youtube page for Lakeside Christian School. There you will find videos featuring parents and graduates, some who were able to attend because of the Step up for Students scholarship, attesting to the great program offered to their children. You can find out more information about the Step Up for Students scholarship program by visiting their website at www.stepupforstudents.org.

Best- Practice Instruction

best- practice instruction.

Closed-Loop Instructional Process

The school year began with 63% of elementary students scoring on or above grade level.

The school year ended with 85% of elementary students scoring on or above grade level.

The school year began with 37% of elementary students with un-mastered skills below grade level.

The school year ended with 15% of elementary students with un-mastered skills below grade level, and those had closed all prior gaps in just months.

Data- Driven Instruction

When the time comes, will your child be ready for college or career? Or will their diploma simply stand for a possible four- year gap in information they must know to succeed after graduation?

Does your child’s elementary school use Best-Practice Instructional processes that prepare them foundationally for academic success in secondary grades?

These are the things on which Lakeside Christian School focuses, in order to prepare your child for college and career starting in Kindergarten.

• Data- driven instruction
• Aligned curriculum
• Best- practice instruction
• Effective educators
• Complementary technology
• Biblical worldview
• Safe & secure learning environment

Over the next several weeks, we will explain each of these items on this college & career readiness checklist, because what good is knowing what your child needs to succeed, if you cannot identify those things (or the lack thereof) in their classroom?

First, we’ll tackle data- driven instruction. There is a lot of meaning packed into such a boring- sounding term! According to www.engageny.org, “Data- driven instruction and inquiry is a precise and systematic approach to improving student learning throughout the year. The inquiry cycle of data-driven instruction includes assessment, analysis, and action and is a key framework for school-wide support of all student success.”

In simple terms, data- driven instruction means teachers assess students, analyze their findings, and take action to improve the education of each individual student.

Why is this so important?

Data- driven instruction means your child receives a tailored educational plan that will work to either eliminate academic gaps, or propel them forward if they are already on track. Without assessment (and there are multiple kinds of assessment), it’s impossible to determine if a student is on track or not, and if this can’t be determined, students fall through the cracks and essential skills may be lost.

When this data is analyzed, teachers can immediately see if their teaching is effective for each student. This allows them to either create smaller groups concentrated on the skills with which students are struggling, or change her methods entirely. This means the teachers aren’t teaching content to students. They are teaching students essential content.

In classrooms in which data- driven instruction is practiced, it doesn’t matter the size of the class; each student receives the education they need in order to close academic gaps and get on track for college preparedness. Anything less is not enough to ensure that your child is on track!

Lakeside Christian School has been practicing data- driven instruction in K-5 for several years and has noticed a marked improvement in scores. Academic gaps are closing and off- track students are quickly catching up! In a nation with such poor academic statistics, this is immensely encouraging.

Is your child in a classroom that practices data- driven instruction? Book a free tour with Lakeside Christian School today, and ask about our data- driven instruction!

Here’s how it’s done: