Registration is already open for the 2025-26 school year

ATASCADERO — It was recently announced that Atascadero’s North County Christian School (NCCS) will be changing its name starting in the 2025-26 school year to Brookside Christian Academy (BCA). Along with the name change comes course changes, bringing back high school-level education, and the continuation of delivering faith-based learning to the North County. 

“We are so grateful for the place NCCS has had in the community. We recognize this shift is possible largely to the trust the community has in the current school, and it is our greatest desire to steward that trust into this new season,” said NCCS Vice-Chairman and Secretary Amy Maskal.

NCCS has been a staple in private Christian-based education for almost 50 years in the community. The school has built an incredible legacy through all of its financial struggles, a drop in enrollment, and a new surge in enrolling students during the COVID-19 pandemic. To get things back on track, NCCS teamed up with Concordis Education Partners, which consults private Christian schools throughout the nation.

“NCCS/BCA has contracted with Concordis to offer support over the next 5-6 years,” stated Maskal. “They provide support for a wide range of things: some ‘back of house’ administrative functions, school board and technical document support, teacher training and curriculum support, classroom management support, and Head of School support and networking.”

Along with the upcoming name change for the 2025-26 school year, the school will also gain new colors and a new mascot, which is still to be determined and will become a Classical Christian Education (CCE) school. 

“This is a return to the time-tested roots of education that has produced the greatest minds our modern world has known,” Maskal added. “Classical Christian Education (CCE) teaches children how to think, not just what–all founded in the Word of God. In an age where social media and A.I. are unfathomable influences in how children process information, never before has discernment, trained in truth, been a more valuable character trait to develop in our children.”

Delving more into CCE, the upcoming BCA will also offer three levels of schooling on a weekly basis.

“Tuesday-Thursday will be the main academic days (‘Core’ schedule), and is the lowest level of enrollment offered to our families,” Maskal clarified. “Monday will be a ‘Core+’ day, where students will have the opportunity to work through assigned lab work over a teacher-directed, structured day. This will also be a day students can receive additional support to either reinforce or supplement instruction in the Core days. Fridays will be ‘Enrichment’ days, where extracurriculars of various sorts will be available. Students can choose to enroll in a three-, four-, or five-day program.”

By bringing in CCE teaching and learning, the new school, which will retain its current staff and board, will also feature smaller class sizes. Each class will feature 12 students to each teacher.

“One of the main shifts in CCE is how the classroom looks. There is a much higher level of involvement between the teacher and the students. Asking a teacher to engage at this level with a high-count classroom has proven to be difficult in schools that have gone before us. Twelve has been shown to be the golden number for a successful classroom experience for all,” said Maskal.

The ’25-26 school year will also bring back the return of high school academics at BCA. High school students have not been included in the school’s curriculum since the graduating class of 2020. Currently, NCCS features a preschool, elementary, and middle school, as well as its thrift store. At this time, it is unclear if the thrift store’s name will change, but as BCA will be a D.B.A. (doing business as) of NCCS, there is no legal requirement for a change.

As of Saturday, Feb. 1, registration is open for BCA for the ’25-26 school year. Maskal stated that existing families at NCCS will have priority for re-enrollment spots but that every family, either new or existing, will be interviewed before officially registering.

“The hope we have for parents considering BCA would be this: if you are looking for a school that desires to come alongside you, to partner in raising children to truly know God and rise to meet the fullest extents of who they were created to be, shepherded in beauty and goodness and discipled in truth, then this is for you,” she added.

For new or existing parents with questions about enrollment, email info@brooksideacademy.com

“Our biggest hope for the school will be the cultural change. We hope and pray that the culture that is fostered by these changes will result in a group of young people who love one another as God has loved us,” concluded Maskal. “That, with the assurance of who they are in Christ and what things are true and beautiful, they would be ready to face a world dropping into increasing chaos. That we would be engaged with families, working together to educate and disciple their children to the fullest extent of who they were created to be.”

NCCS hosted two town hall meetings on Thursday, Jan. 30, and Saturday, Feb. 8, at Atascadero Bible Church to discuss the changes. Interested parties can find the video for the Jan. 30 meeting here: youtube.com/live/zmyc4br9rcs