Our School

The academic year has 180 instructional days and is divided into two semesters (August-January and January-June). The middle school and high school use a modified block schedule.

OCSI is jointly accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This joint accreditation:

• Affirms that OCSI meets the standards of quality established by the international school community.
• Provides validation of OCSI’s credibility.
• Promotes accountability to the school community.
• Improves instruction targeting increased student achievement of the expected student outcomes.
• Encourages the evaluation of biblical and spiritual integration.
• Allows OCSI graduates to qualify for admissions to Japanese universities with English-based programs, as well as colleges and universities in the US and other countries.

The accreditation process uses a 6-year cycle:

• Year 1-2: OCSI submits school improvement reports to ACSI and WASC.
• Year 3: A visiting committee from ACSI and WASC visits OCSI to assess progress on school improvement.
• Year 4-5: OCSI submits school improvement reports to ACSI and WASC.
• Year 6: OCSI completes its self-study report, and an accreditation team reads the report, visits OCSI, identifies strengths and growth areas, and reports its findings to ACSI and WASC (most recently completed in Spring 2018).

• CollegeBoard®
• National Collegiate Athletic Association
• Child Safety and Protection Network
• Japan Evangelical Missionary Association

Okinawa Christian School was established in 1957 as a school for the children of missionaries living in Okinawa. During the first year, Mrs. Esther Austin taught a class of 11 students in Mashiki, in Ginowan.

The school eventually moved into a more permanent facility on present-day Camp Lester (then called Camp Kuwae) consisting of two Quonset huts. Missionary parents who started the school were aware that many other parents desired a Christian, English-language education at an affordable price. Believing that every child deserved an opportunity to receive an education taught from a Biblical perspective, the missionaries decided to open the doors of the school to any child, regardless of religious affiliation.

Looking forward to the future, OCS purchased land on Hacksaw Ridge in Urasoe City, a site of fierce fighting during the Battle of Okinawa in WWII. By 1965 students moved into a new, larger school facility. This expansion led to OCS celebrating its first commencement when the graduating Class of 1969 received their diplomas.

By 1986, OCSI was looking to expand again. OCSI purchased the current Yomitan campus in 1996 and began classes in this new facility during the 1996-1997 school year.

Equipping students to walk with Jesus and impact the world for Him.

EAGLES

OCSI learners will Excel in Academics and Grow as Learners so they will be Equipped to Serve.

• Excel in Academics
  • Understand Bible stories, Biblical principles, and a Christian worldview.
  • Understand how language works and develop effective communication skills.
  • Understand the connections between numbers, operations, and patterns.
  • Understand the process of scientific inquiry and examine claims before drawing conclusions.
  • Understand the interactions of societies, environments, individuals, and institutions. 
• Grow as Learners
  • Think critically and Biblically to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate course content.
  • Collaborate in groups to solve problems and help each other learn.
  • Use digital tools appropriately to create ideas and solutions to real world problems. 
• Equipped to Serve
  • Build Christ-centered community through honest and kind collaboration.
  • Value and maintain physical, social, emotional, moral, and spiritual health.
  • Demonstrate Christ-like character by being kind, respectful, self-controlled, and hardworking.
  • Develop a global mindset, respecting others as God’s image bearers.

学校法人 Gakkou Houjin/Incorporated Educational Institution [Japan] 各種学校 Kakushu Gakkou/Miscellaneous School [Okinawa] 特定公益増進法人 Tokutei Koueki Zoushin Houjin/Special Public Interest Promotion Organization [Japan National Tax Agency]

Okinawa Christian School International does not discriminate against students and parents on the basis of race, biological gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, color, age, or disability in the administration of policy and program.

Okinawa Christian School was established in 1957 to provide Christ-centered education for the children of evangelical missionaries. OCSI currently serves over 500 students in our PreK-12 program.

Our classes are taught in English, and we use an American-style curriculum that addresses the whole person, is Biblically based, recognizes all truth is God’s truth, emphasizes sharing the Gospel and discipleship, and encourages Biblical thinking and living.

Our classes are taught in English, and we use an American-style program that addresses the whole person, is Biblically based, recognizes all truth is God’s truth, emphasizes sharing the Gospel and discipleship, and encourages Biblical thinking and living.

Our classes are taught in English, and we use an American-style curriculum that addresses the whole person, is Biblically based, recognizes all truth is God’s truth, emphasizes sharing the Gospel and discipleship, and encourages Biblical thinking and living.

• The inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures as originally given; their plenary inspiration by God, and their supreme authority as the only rule of faith and practice.
• The Trinity of the Godhead—Father, Son, and. Holy Spirit, who are the same in substance, equal in power, and glory.
• The essential, absolute, and eternal deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His real but sinless humanity, His substitutionary and atoning death as the all-sufficient sacrifice for sin. His resurrection from the dead on the third day in that very body that had lain in the tomb, His ascension into heaven as the only Mediator between God and man, and His visible personal return in power and glory.
• The personality and deity of the Holy Spirit by Whom the believer is regenerated and sanctified through the Word of Truth.
• The lost estate of man through the Fall and his salvation solely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, whose righteousness imputed to him is the only ground of his acceptance before God.
• The resurrection of the body, the judgment of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, the everlasting and conscious punishment of the lost.
• The spiritual unity of all who truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and their duty to maintain in all their relationships a standard of life and doctrine that is in conformity with the teaching of God’s Word.

• We value EXCELLENCE, GROWTH, & SERVICE.
• We value personal and organizational excellence and stay focused on our mission.
• We value setting goals and using our God-given gifts to encourage and support growth.
• We value Christ-centered community and follow Jesus’ example to serve others.

A Christ-centered learning community that equips students to follow Jesus, pursue excellence, and serve others.