Why Parents & Students Love The Rock School
Daniel, Moses, and Esther of the Old Testament didn’t just survive the secular culture of their days. They thrived. Not by compromising to culture, but by being connected to God. And our kids can flourish this way too!
The Rock School is diligently and passionately partnering with parents to raise up a modern-day Daniel Generation: young men and women who are well-educated and wise, embrace a Jesus-centered worldview, are effective leaders and communicators, are cross-cultural in outreach, desire to engage their world, are highly connected to God, and are faithful in difficulty.
History reminds us that it does not take a majority to cultivate change within our world. It only takes a handful of committed, emboldened, and like-minded individuals. Revival is always a grassroots effort. The Daniel Generation is the next great grassroots effort.
Everything that we do and teach is rooted in the Christian faith so that your child’s learning is founded upon God and His Word.
We go beyond just rules and consequences in order to reach your child’s heart and inspire faith-based transformation.
We strive to exceed expectations so that you and your child enjoy a positive school experience.
We value innovation and strive to discover the best practices for student learning so your child can succeed.
We lead, serve, and teach with great passion because we are confident in what God has called us to do. We will work to cultivate this same passion in your child too.
We love people and will gladly welcome you and your child into our school family, whether from within our local community and from any of the nations of the world.
We provide a loving environment where your child will be protected physically and emotionally and can grow into the person God has called him or her to be without fear.
The vision of The Rock School is to make disciples of Jesus who possess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to courageously cooperate with God in the work of redeeming the world.
At The Rock School, we believe every person is made in the image of God. That belief compels us to make sure that every student feels seen, known, and loved. We can aim for this, because we are not a school system – we are a school community.
To see, know, and love each individual is a tall task, but the dedicated staff of The Rock School make it possible. Each team member is a faithful Christian, growing to be more like Jesus and fulfill His command to love God and love people.
If you would like to be a part of this kind of community, we encourage you to visit us for an Open House. Come experience the difference of a community-driven school.
Hope to see you soon,
Arica Heise
Head of School
The Rock School began in 1993, founded by Pastors George & Suzanne Brantley as a ministry of a local church, The Rock of Gainesville. The vision then was a simple one – to provide Christian families an affordable alternative to public schooling. Over the past 30+ years, the vision has greatly expanded to include programs of excellence in academics, Christian discipleship, leadership, service, athletics, and the arts.
Drawing from a thriving church, 80% of the school’s enrollment came from within the founding church during the first decade. Beginning in 2000, enrollment began to shift as the school became more intentional about reaching the broader community. Today, the school boasts its largest enrollment in school history – 600+ students – at full capacity with a significant number of new families seeking admissions each year.
In the process, it has truly become a community school, with more than 60 different churches represented from across the denominational spectrum.
As a university town, Gainesville has a rich diversity and that can be seen in our school as well. In fact, our school’s demographic closely mirrors that of Alachua County’s racial and ethnic breakdown, making The Rock School a microcosm of the community in which we live, work, and play.
With the addition of an international student program in 2004, we now also serve numerous students from around the world each year, with representatives from over 45 different countries and six continents attending our school through the years.
It is easy to look back over the past 30 years and see how God has taken The Rock School from “glory to glory.” It is obvious His hand has been upon the school, evident by the provision we have experienced for many years, and how He has carried us and sustained us through some very difficult and challenging seasons. The letters from alumni that pour in each year testify to the significant impact that the school has made on its graduates, and the rising number of second-generation students demonstrates the value that these former students see in the brand of education that we are providing.
The vision of The Rock School is to make disciples of Jesus who possess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to courageously cooperate with God in the work of redeeming the world.
