A legacy of learning for more than 50 years
Evangel Christian Academy, originally Evangelical Christian Academy, was born out of the ministry of Grace Presbyterian Church at the current location of Evangel’s elementary campus on Logan Street. The pastor, Rev. William B. Leonard, Jr., had a vision for a Christian school as far back as 1963 when the church completed work on an educational wing. To this day, parts of the school still bear the name of Pastor Leonard, namely Leonard Hall on the Secondary Campus and the Leonard ECA Foundation.
Church members sacrificed greatly to raise funds, launching Evangelical Christian Academy with Kindergarten and 1st Grade classes in the fall of 1971. By 1975, ECA had an enrollment of 99 students in Pre-K through 6th Grade. Five years later, enrollment had grown to 170 students, leading the ECA Board of Directors to add a junior high school. That same year, principal Keller spoke of the school in terms that still apply today: “our curriculum is Christ-centered…we believe the student’s home, church, and school must complement each other, promoting the student’s spiritual, academic, social, and physical development…”
Expansion to an upper school meant the formation of a joint ministry between Grace Presbyterian Church and Village Seven Presbyterian Church, a newer church plant started by pastor William Leonard. By 1985, ECA had 218 students at the Elementary campus and 60 at the Secondary campus. Continued expansion led to the first graduating class in 1991. To date, ECA has launched more than 800 graduates, and alumni surveys reveal the vast majority of them are still walking with the Lord.
While the haircuts may have changed in the class photos that line our hallways, graduates have always been taught and prepared to engage their world with a Christian worldview and a love for Christ and for others. The way we now express our Portrait of a Graduate has long been the guiding purpose of parents, educators, and coaches partnered together around ECA’s mission.
ECA reached a peak enrollment of 507 students during the 2001-2002 school year, split evenly between the two campuses. The emergence of state-subsidized charter schools in Colorado Springs affected the enrollment of ECA and other Christian schools, many of which were forced to close their doors. God, in His providence, provided for ECA’s ongoing and uninterrupted ministry. Collegium, a part-time classical homeschooling program, joined ECA in 2012. By this time, ECA had begun the transition to a classical education model, and we continue to remain the city’s only accredited classical Christian school.
In 2023, Evangelical Christian Academy became Evangel Christian Academy. The word Evangel takes the school’s name back to its biblical roots, for Evangel is the Latin word for the Gospel (used 76 times in the New Testament), or the good news of Jesus Christ. The subtle change denotes our commitment to the person and work of Jesus and the grace in which we stand, through His life, death, and resurrection. Soli Deo Gloria – to the glory of God alone.
