History
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.
