On September 26, 1955, a meeting was held to talk about establishing a Christian School. Thirty-nine people signed up as members and a Board was elected. A three-room school was constructed in 1963.
After much hard work and many prayers, BCS opened in September of that year with 38 students enrolled. Three years later one classroom and a hallway were added as enrolment reached 100 students. In 1968 one more classroom, as the school population increased by another 20 students. Enrollment in the years following declined due largely to the poor economy in Brantford and the impact that it had on the financial position of families. In 1979 that trend reversed, and enrolment grew back up, and in 1989 the number of students reached 140.
In 1989 two portables were purchased and placed east of the school to accommodate the increase in students. Plans began during that time for an expansion to the building and in 1991 four classrooms, a library, gym, offices, a kitchen, staff lounge and a supply room were added. New playground equipment was also purchased and installed. Enrollment continued to grow steadily through to 2008 requiring more changes to the facility which included two more portables being added, and an expansion to the library and a computer lab. Following small enrolment declines in 2008 and 2009 mainly due to the economy, BCS continued to grow reaching 200 students for the first time in 2013. Growth has continued over the five years since with most years having a record number of students and families.
In 2014 BCS celebrated its 50th Anniversary and plans for a facility expansion were developed. A year later the Brick by Brick Capital Campaign was officially launched. Over the years the expansion plans evolved from a $1 million addition to a $2.1 million expansion, to a $3.5 million project as a result of very successful fundraising and continued enrolment growth. At a meeting on November 16, 2017, the members of the School’s Society voted unanimously to move forward with the expansion project based on the budget of up to $3.5 million. The expansion included new Junior and Senior Kindergarten classrooms, six other classrooms, a large Multi-Purpose room, new office spaces (including a conference room), and made the building fully accessible with an elevator and barrier-free washrooms.
During the 2017-2018 school year the student population increased to over 220 for the first time in school history. It was during that year that construction of the expansion began. As a result of the construction, four classes were relocated into temporary classrooms in the gym, and one class was located in a trailer in the front of the school. Over those spring months, 26 new families registered for the 2018 – 2019 school year and enrollment for that year reached almost 260 students- an increase of 40 students! As a result of the growth a sixth bus route was added, a French specialist was hired, and a Grade 1/2 class and a Grade 4/5 class were introduced.
The 2019-2020 school year began with a slight increase in students, and Spring was due to be a time of strategic planning as a school wide survey was completed by the Community Members and a multi-year strategic plan was beginning to be formed. In March of 2020 all of that ground to a halt as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, which closed the school building for the rest of the school year. During those spring months teachers provided videos of lessons and activities for remote learning and held class meetings during each week. Graduation for the Class of 2020 was postponed until late August due to the public health and government restrictions during the spring. The 2020-2021 school year began with in-person learning again with 263 students registered, but due to attempts to keep class sizes smaller than usual a third split class was added as well as a third Kindergarten class. The 2020-2021 school year involved two provincial lockdowns- one in January until early February, and the second from April Break (which was the postponed March Break), until the end of the school year. During the lockdowns synchronous remote learning was offered to families. Given allowances by the provincial government, in-person outside gatherings for each class were held during the last week of the school year and an in-person graduation was held outside on the evening of June 23.
The 2021-2022 school year began with a record 282 students which come from 138 families.
The 2022-2023 school year has 296 students!
