About us

A letter from our Principals

Dear Prospective Family,
Thank you for your interest in Pacific Lutheran Jr/Sr High School! Becoming part of the PacLu community has many advantages for both your student and your family.

PacLu is:

SMALL: With about 130 students from 6th-12th grade, the classes are small, allowing students to interact more with their teachers while getting the education that is designed to meet their individual needs.
SAFE: Safeguarded against the outside world, our campus is fenced and monitored to keep students and staff guarded against intruders. Emergency plans ensure student safety is a top priority.
SECURE: Not just physically safe, students are made to feel secure expressing ideas and opinions in a loving, caring environment. PacLu strives to educate the whole child, academically, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
FORWARD THINKING: Your student’s academic journey is important, so choosing courses designed to help students prepare for their future is a priority and assistance with career planning allows students to think ahead to the next phase of their journey.
ACTIVE: Clubs and activities are built into the weekly schedule, and students may choose from a variety of courses that allow students to be challenged, creative, innovative, or to better themselves. Sports are also part of the PacLu lineup, teaching good sportsmanship in a competitive arena, with programs for both junior high and high school.
A THRIVING COMMUNITY: Families and students feel connected to PacLu and to each other through a variety of activities that bring them together throughout the school year. Long-lasting bonds are created between families and students, strengthening the community and the positive attitude felt on and beyond our campus.
And, most importantly,
CHRIST-CENTERED: Everything at PacLu is rooted in and around the Love of Jesus, good moral values, and basic Biblical truths. Theology courses, weekly chapels, and faith integration within all courses give students a Christian foundation that will allow them to become future Christian leaders in our non-Christian world.

My two daughters were raised in Lutheran schools with similar advantages, and both are thriving as young adults. I would not have wanted anything but this type of atmosphere for them, and I thank God for the Lutheran education they each received.
If this is the type of atmosphere that would benefit your student, please consider Pacific Lutheran. I am happy to meet and answer any questions that you have. Our team is ready to partner with you to help meet and exceed your student’s goals.
Looking forward to meeting you!

Dr. Kit Hittinger
Principal/Executive Director
Pacific Lutheran Jr/Sr High School

Why Christian Education?

A Lutheran-Christian education offers spiritual, academic, and social benefits that shape students into well-rounded individuals prepared for college and life.

Spiritual Benefits

Emphasis on shared values. Lutheran-Christian education offers an environment for students to be surrounded by peers with a common Christian worldview on a daily basis. Through Christian education, students are afforded the opportunity to connect with peers without the temptation of faith compromising choices.

Immersion in the Word of God. Consistent and repeated exposure to Biblical lessons reinforces the Gospel for a maturing Christian. Students are led by Christian educators and leaders who daily model Christianity.

Amplification of faith. Students are provided with opportunities to practice their faith through weekly chapel, community outreach opportunities, dialogue with other Christian faculty and interaction with their peers.

Academic Benefits

Advanced academic achievement. A private Christian school tends to attract dedicated teachers who are also motivated to learn and excel. Their pupils flourish in congenial surroundings that encourage advanced studies in mathematics, physics, chemistry and other hard sciences along with the classical liberal arts.

Christian Education Resources. Public-school materials typically lack a Christian viewpoint and may even actively disparage Christian values. A private school can and will choose curriculum materials that are at least open to Christian values.

Individual attention. Public schools tend to suffer from inadequate teacher-to-student ratios while private schools tend to offer better individual attention to their students. Students receive hands on learning without the struggles encountered in over-populated classrooms.

Social Benefits

Anti-bullying. Lutheran-Christian education provides a peaceful learning environment. The moral character and strict rules of conduct of a Christian school support non-tolerance for bullying and campus chaos.

Disciplined environment. Clear rules and an expectation of self-disciplined behavior from pupils assist the development of student dignity and respect for other people. In addressing each person holistically on a daily basis, Lutheran educational institutions prepare people to be in service to God and society by showing them how to lead a sanctified life of discipleship.

OUR THEOLOGY

Pacific Lutheran Jr./ Sr. High School is one of approximately 90 Lutheran high schools belonging to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). This conservative Lutheran Church body has approximately 1.9 million members throughout the United States, and believes the Bible to be the inerrant, infallible Word of God and Jesus to be the sole Savior for a world lost in its sin. As the Bible teaches “Faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17), the most important work done at Pacific Lutheran Jr./ Sr. High School is sharing the good news of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil. This focus permeates the academic curriculum, athletics, field trips, and all other aspects of the school.

There are two distinct types of Christian schools – “covenant” schools and “mission” schools. Covenant schools require that students and/or parents agree to particular faith statements or doctrinal beliefs of the Christian school they attend. Pacific Lutheran is a mission school which means that it opens its doors to students desiring a Lutheran-Christian education even if they do not profess all of the beliefs of Lutheranism. The school expects that non-Lutheran students learn and respect Lutherans’ positions on various doctrinal issues but does not expect that students/families embrace all aspects of Lutheranism.

Individuals interested in learning more about the specific beliefs of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and/or Pacific Lutheran are encouraged to read The Brief Statement of 1932 or a much longer summary in The Book of Concord first published in 1580.

Our Mission

Pacific Lutheran’s mission is to provide a Christ-centered, college-preparatory education for students in grades 6-12 at an affordable price point to allow as many people as possible to receive the benefits of a Lutheran-Christian education.

The school works very diligently to ensure that students receive an education consistent with a biblical worldview and also that students receive an excellent, well-rounded education both in and out of the classroom.

WASC Accreditation

Pacific Lutheran currently has the highest possible accreditation a school can receive (full six-year accreditation with a mid-term report) by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Areas of accreditation include school governance, curriculum and instruction, student support services and resource management (budget).

To view the Visiting Team’s 2017 Report click here. To review the School 2017 Self- Study click here. These documents provide an extensive top-to-bottom picture of Pacific Lutheran’s educational ministry for those interested in a deep dive.