By Chris Moon
Back in the 1980s, Jim Macdonald simply wanted to provide a solid education for his three daughters.
So, when he built a house near his hometown in western Washington state, he also built a small schoolhouse where he could homeschool his kids.
People in the community found out about it.
“Would you work with our kids?” Macdonald recalls them asking.
Macdonald did work with their kids . . . and one thing led to another.
More than three decades later—and after some ups and downs—Onward Christian Academy serves students across the United States and in four other countries. The school operates fully online and aims to give parents an affordable Christian alternative to public schools.
Tuition is set at $1,000 per school year.
Macdonald recently has been reaching out to churches in the Restoration Movement, where he has his spiritual roots.
In particular, he has a heart for pastors’ kids. But Onward Christian Academy is looking for anyone wanting a quality Christian education, Macdonald said.
“Now it’s gotten to the point where it’s become a ministry,” he said.
BUILT BY WORD OF MOUTH
Macdonald is retired from a multifaceted career in real estate, telecommunications, and education. He owned rental homes and operated a company that installed satellite TV in apartment complexes.
But education always has been his passion. Macdonald’s schoolhouse—he calls it “Old Macdonald’s Schoolhouse”—was located near Winlock, Wash.
“Word of mouth built up the student body,” Macdonald said.
From his three children, the school grew to include 30 to 40 homeschool students. They would meet with Macdonald once a week for a couple hours. Some parents drove their kids 50 to 60 miles for the visit, Macdonald said.
Eventually, his school caught the attention of the local school district, and the schoolhouse became home to the district’s at-risk students. That included those who were struggling with their academics or who had dropped out of school or been expelled.
“I soon had over 100 students,” Macdonald said.
Some of the graduating classes had 30 to 40 students in them.
“A lot of those kids were told they would never graduate,” Macdonald said.
A BROADER AUDIENCE
Macdonald’s alternative school continued for 20 years.
Things changed in 2011 when the local school district hired a new superintendent who was not a fan of Macdonald’s faith-based curriculum. Macdonald said he always has used Christian curriculum at the school.
The partnership with the district abruptly ended. But some parents weren’t ready to abandon the school.
And so, the school shifted focus, and Onward Christian Academy was launched.
Macdonald created a website and started a fully online school. He began using an online Christian homeschool curriculum called Ignitia, by Alpha Omega Publications.
The schoolhouse no longer was needed.
“People from all over the country began to find me,” Macdonald said.
Macdonald stresses the low cost of Onward Christian Academy. Its $1,000 annual tuition is below—sometimes far below—its online competitors.
Macdonald, 79, says he hasn’t “drawn a penny” of income from the school since it became a fully online endeavor 12 years ago. He said he only charges enough to cover the cost of curriculum and technology.
Macdonald said many parents have become disillusioned by the political and moral agenda they’ve found in public schools. “They are looking for alternatives,” he said.
The interest went beyond the United States. Macdonald said he also has students in Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, and the Philippines.
Originally, Macdonald’s school catered mostly to middle and high school students. He now serves students from third grade on up. The school has 30 students today—all learning from home.
Many students have gone onto higher education, some to technical school and some to four-year colleges. One student, Macdonald said, is enrolled in a Bible college.
A Bible credit is one of Onward Christian Academy’s requirements; it can be fulfilled by a student attending youth group activities at a local church. Macdonald recalled one student in Texas whom he helped get connected with an independent Christian church in her community so she could fulfill the Bible credit.
REACHING RESTORATION CHURCHES
Today, Onward Christian Academy is headquartered in Kissimmee, Fla., where Macdonald relocated to be close to one of his children. He attends Kissimmee Christian Church.
Macdonald said one of his goals today is to reach out to Restoration Movement churches in his search for new students.
Macdonald said he first was introduced to the Stone-Campbell Movement as a high school student. A Church of Christ pastor gave him a book about the life of Raccoon John Smith, one of the early leaders of the Restoration Movement. Macdonald said the book changed his life.
Macdonald took a year of classes at Northwest College of the Bible in Portland, Wash.—during which he was baptized—and then went on to earn his teaching degree.
Recognizing his spiritual roots, Macdonald has begun advertising with Christian Standard. He said he also has sent information about Onward Christian Academy to dozens of Restoration Movement churches across the country.
Macdonald said one goal is to serve children of people who serve in church ministry.
Donors have stepped up to pay for scholarships for students who can’t afford the tuition.
“I want them to know I will not say ‘no,’” he said.
Chris Moon is a pastor and writer living in Redstone, Colorado.
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