School Profile
Venture Christian Academy
School Overview
Los Gatos Christian School serves 334 PS-8th grade students in the heart of Silicon Valley. As a ministry of Venture Christian Church, LGCS is one of the largest Christian elementary schools in the area and is dedicated to educating with high academic standards and developing passionate followers of Christ.
School History
In 1961, after attending a seminar highlighting secular trends in public education, Marvin Rickard, then pastor of Los Gatos Christian Church, began to dream about the possibility of launching a school. His vision was to serve families of the San Francisco Bay Area by providing a top-tier education in the context of an increasingly unpopular biblical worldview. When the church moved to its current site on Hicks Road in Los Gatos in 1973, the facility was able to accommodate a school ministry. After three years of planning, Los Gatos Christian School opened in the fall of 1977 with an enrollment of 219 kindergarten through eighth grade students, growing to 504 students by the third year of operation.
God’s faithfulness in fulfilling this dream and His continued provision would be evident in the next three decades to follow. Experiencing its share of prosperity and challenges, thanks to the commitment of the church, faculty and a community of motivated families, LGCS continued to fulfill its vision of providing an excellent education and leading children and their families to know Jesus Christ.
In 2007, after merging with another local church, Los Gatos Christian Church changed its name to Venture
Christian Church (VCC). Through the generosity of VCC and LGCS families, a $1 million remodel was completed in 2011 providing much-needed updates to 25 classrooms and establishing a state-of-the-art technology center. With a desire to reach even more families, the preschool program began in the fall of 2013. In 2017, the school celebrated its 40th anniversary. Understanding the school’s unique location in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley, the Idea Lab was opened in 2018, boasting cutting edge robotics, 3-D printing and video production resources.
While the world around Los Gatos Christian School continues to change, the school’s mission has not. LCGS
remains committed to being the presence of Christ in Silicon Valley, preparing the next generation for faith, service and influence.