History of WOCS

Western Oklahoma Christian School (WOCS) consists of three campuses located in Clinton, Weatherford, and Elk City.  Clinton was the first campus, then Weatherford and Elk City were added.

Clinton WOCS is located on 4.6 acres on the southwest edge of Clinton, Oklahoma. Clinton is a rural community with an approximate population of approximately 9000 people. The student body comes from several surrounding small rural towns. The majority of the school families are of average economic incomes.

The school was founded in 1986-1987 by a provisional board of 13 interested people. Their primary intention was to provide a Bible-based academic program for elementary students from Christian homes. It was planned that this school would be an extension of the Christian training that children were receiving from their families and local churches. It was recognized by these early WOCS leaders that the public school system had drifted away from its Christian heritage. This Christian school was organized to provide an alternative to the secular educational institution. The school was incorporated in February of 1988.

The school is governed by a seven-member self-electing board. They set policy and serve as a sounding board for the Head of School.

The first WOCS classes were held in the Baptist Church in Bessie, Oklahoma in the fall of 1987. There were 22 students in attendance. These children were from the communities of Bessie, Clinton, Cordell, Corn, Dill City, and Weatherford.

In 1988, WOCS was moved to 710 S 19th, to a house owned by the First Mennonite Church of Clinton. This move provided stable classrooms for the students as opposed to sharing space with the Baptist Church Sunday school classes. There were 30 WOCS students during this school year.

Each year there was growth in attendance. With this increase in enrollment, plus some concern over fire safety in the home setting, WOCS began searching for a more suitable location. In 1989, Mr. and Mrs. Irving Schmidt donated land on the south edge of town. A permanent school was built at 2901 Beverly Lane. The metal structure of 3000 square feet included four classrooms and an administrative office. There were 40 students at this time. In 1992, pre-school class was added.

In 1994, enrollment in particular grades was reaching the pre-determined limit. After consulting with the constituency, the school board initiated a building project to add 2500 square feet to the 1989 structure. As money was available, this space was divided into four additional classrooms. In the 1994-1995 school year, there were 71 students. The staff included five full-time teachers, one part-time art teacher, and a part-time secretary.

The school has a reputation for excellent scholarship, and Bible is taught as a regular school subject. Denominational instruction is not given, but Protestant beliefs are taught from an evangelical perspective. There are prayer times and chapel sessions during each school day. True to the vision of the founding leaders, the heart of the WOCS program is the integration of Christian principles into all areas of elementary school instruction.

The school operates on a break-even basis which is funded by tuition, fundraisers, and donations. God has truly supplied miraculously in the past.

The old school bell in front of the school was donated and added in 1991 by Elmer Quiring. It is the old bell from the Missouri one-room school, south of Weatherford. The brick sign in front of the school was donated by Rueben Wedel of Cordell and the Hank Peters family of Corn in memory of Edna Wedel and Helen Peters.

In 1997, WOCS applied for accreditation with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and Oklahoma Private School Accreditation Commission (OPSAC). The work on the self-study began, and a team came to visit in January 2002. In July 2002, a letter was received granting accreditation through July 2009.

As a result of long-range planning, the school board felt called by God to step out in faith and start an early childhood extension of Western Oklahoma Christian School in Weatherford, a town 15 miles to the east. The board’s desire was that when the students got to the grades that were not offered in Weatherford, they would be willing to drive the 15 miles to join their fellow students at the Clinton campus. In the fall of 2007, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten were taught in the classrooms and gym of Life Fellowship Church in Weatherford. The following academic year, the school offered pre-kindergarten through second grade. In the 2009-2010 school year only pre-kindergarten and kindergarten were offered due to low enrollment in the upper grades. It was the desire of the board to establish an Early Childhood Center offering pre-kindergarten through first grade. At its onset, the school administrator and secretary worked at the Weatherford campus once a week.

During the school year of 2008-2009, a building program was instituted to add three additional classrooms and a set of restrooms at the Clinton campus. Money was raised and the construction was completed in fall of 2009. A dedication and open house for the new addition was held on Sunday, October 25, 2009. As a result of adding three new classrooms, the school was able to designate a specials room to be used for Spanish, music, and art. A room was also used to house the library in its own space. A larger workroom was also developed. Through the generosity of God’s people, the new construction was debt-free.

The school continued to grow and work on the re-accreditation was completed with a team visit during the 2009-2010 school year. This was also the first year to use the new lower elementary classroom wing at the Clinton campus. WOCS had 93 students between the two campuses during that school year.

During the 2010-2011 school year, the board saw the need for a second pre-k at the Weatherford campus. The enrollment between both campuses was 117 students.

A few families approached the board and were interested in starting an Elk City campus of Western Oklahoma Christian School. The campus at Elk City opened in the fall of 2011 at Eastside Baptist Church with a pre-kindergarten and kindergarten class. There were two full-time teachers, two part-time teachers, and 12 students enrolled. The Elk City campus consistently added a grade each year through sixth grade. At the close of 2011–2012, WOCS had completed 25 years of changing lives for Christ through Christian education.

The next year, 2012-2013, WOCS acquired the building that was formerly First Love Christian School in Elk City. During that school year, the Elk City campus moved into that building and continues to operate there today. The Clinton campus was able to purchase a storm shelter in 2013 as well.

The year 2015 was an eventful one for WOCS. The Elk campus added its first new classroom building and the school completed another re-accreditation process. But perhaps the most significant event was the retirement of Mrs. Joanie Quiring at the end of the 2014-2015 school year after 28 years of being the school’s administrator. Mrs. Dora Miller, a former WOCS teacher, was hired as the next Head of School for WOCS.

Over the next several years, the Elk City campus experienced many changes due to its growth. A full-time secretary and a full-time administrator were hired for the 2015-2016 school year. A second classroom building was added and began use in 2018-2019.
 

WOCS began preparing for another re-accreditation process during the 2019-2020 school year with the accreditation scheduled to take place in the spring of 2020. However, due to the COVID pandemic, the visit was postponed and took place in the fall of 2020.

In 2021, the Elk City campus broke ground and work began on a new gymnasium. It was completed in 2022.

The Weatherford campus also experienced growth and moved beyond being just an early childhood center with the additions of third grade in 2022-2023 and fourth grade in 2023-2024.

The Clinton campus grew in 2023-2024 with the addition of a three-year-old program. The same program was added at the Elk City campus for the 2024-2025 school year. The enrollment for all three campuses for the 2024-2025 school year was 183.

In the spring of 2024, the house next door to the Clinton campus came up for sale. The board and Head of School felt the desire to purchase the house with the intention of opening a daycare allowing WOCS to serve children beginning in infancy. It is anticipated that the daycare will open in the spring of 2025.

At the end of the 2023-2024 school year the Weatherford campus was given the opportunity to partner with Crosspointe Church and utilize the church building for their campus. In May 2024, the Weatherford campus families all pitched in to help move the campus from Life Fellowship Church to Crosspointe. A fifth grade class was added at Weatherford for the 2024-2025 school year.

God has truly been faithful to WOCS over the years. He has always provided for the needs of the school through donations, fundraisers, and the implementation of the Parental Choice Tax Credit program.