Northwest Christian Schools is the largest evangelical K-12 system in eastern Washington, enrolling more than 1,100 students across three campuses: the upper Colbert site that houses junior high, high school, and administration; a lower Colbert elementary campus; and the Cedar Campus near Spokane's Five Mile Prairie. Founded in 1949, the system operates on a 116-acre property roughly 30 minutes north of downtown Spokane and competes athletically as the Crusaders.
Among Spokane-area Christian K-12 alternatives — Valley Christian in Spokane Valley, Mead Christian, plus the smaller K-8 Catholic options like Cataldo — NWCS is the largest by enrollment and the only one with the campus footprint to support a comprehensive program: AP coursework, Running Start partnerships with Spokane Falls and Eastern Washington, plus competitive music and drama. Saint George's School plays a different role for academically ambitious families on the secular independent side. Tuition runs around $10,800 — about a quarter of Seattle independent rates and competitive for the Spokane region.
The system is in expansion mode: a $3.25 million addition to the Colbert secondary campus, reported by the Spokane Journal of Business in 2025, adds roughly 9,200 square feet for advanced coursework — modest in absolute terms but meaningful for a Christian K-12 in the Spokane market. The expansion is designed by Form Architecture and built by McCloskey Construction.
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