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Ripon Christian Schools preschool work underway
RC Preschool DSC_4567.jpg
An artist’s rendering shows the planned Ripon Christian Schools Preschool being located in the 800 block of West Main Street.

Preliminary site work is underway for the Ripon Christian Schools’ Preschool being built fronting Main Street on the south end of the existing campus located on Maple Avenue.

The 8,208 square-foot building comes with a storage facility and outdoor play area and parking for over 60 vehicles.  The structure includes six classrooms, a kitchen, a workroom, six restrooms, reception area and a workroom for teachers and aides. 

The outdoor play area size is 78 by 74 feet in size. 

The preschool that has been operating on the elementary school campus has been a feeder school to RC’s existing elementary system for the past 10 years.  The site is the former location of the home of a longtime Ripon physician that was leveled to make way for the school addition.

Ripon Christian has tracked a steady increase in enrollment over the past five years projecting a need in additional elementary school classroom space in the next four to six years.  A 45-student increase during the past year has forced the board to update expansion plans.

In addition to the recent fundraising effort for the preschool, Ripon Christian is planning a new fundraising campaign to meet the needs of the growing elementary and middle schools. 

The building of Ripon Christian Schools dates back to 1928.

“The Society for Christian Instruction” organized with 16 families and five board members, purchasing five acres on West Main Street for $1,900. A three-room school was built for $5,155 leaving one room unfinished. 

In 1929 Ripon Christian School was organized and opened its doors to 71 students in grades one through six.  The first school bus was purchased for $200 and in 1948 the lower elementary moved to its current location at 217 North Maple Avenue – north of Main Street.  

The high school was established in 1946 and Ripon Christian School has continued to grow and flourish. Currently Ripon Christian Schools provide an education for nearly 800 students.  Ripon Christian Preschool was established in 2008 and now serves some 150 students in preschool and in kindergarten.  

The official groundbreaking for the new preschool took place in mid-December.


To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.