Pacific Academy

Pacific Academy was founded in 1985 by B.C. area spiritual and educational leaders who wanted to create a place where kids could receive the very best academic and spiritual education possible. Today, our school has grown to become a student body of more than 1400, housed on a 40-acre campus in North Surrey. We are unabashedly Christian to the core and emphasize the life-changing importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ in all that we do. What's more, we believe in living out that commitment by integrating an exciting outreach program into our curriculum. In fact, all students - from junior kindergarten through grade 12 - are a part of ministering to those both here in the Surrey community and on the other side of the world.

The faculty, staff and leadership at Pacific Academy are tremendously proud of our Fraser Institute FSA (Foundation Skills Assessment) test results because they consistently reflect our philosophy of enrolling students from as many diverse economic and cultural backgrounds as possible. Sometimes that means our scores are not necessarily the highest, but we believe it's more important to show Christ's love by reaching out to children from all walks of life.

Before Pacific Academy actually opened its doors to 200 students in the autumn of 1985, the dream of a unique school that blended high academic standards, Biblical truths and the finest facilities was a vision in the mind of many British Columbia-area leaders, parents and educators.

And when Vancouver-based entrepreneur and philanthropist Jim Pattison stepped out in faith to work toward his vision becoming a reality, he was soon joined by Founding Board Members Rev. Allon Hornby, Rev. Bernice Gerard, Rev. Ed Austin, Rev. Ken Birch, Rev. Gordon McDonald and Mrs. Mary Pattison. Under God's leading, the newly constituted Pacific Pentecostal Education and Communication Society was able to purchase the seven-acre Brookmere Elementary School in Coquitlam, adjacent to Brookmere Park. It was here that Pacific Academy called home for six years, until a cold, snowy day in January of 1991 when the growing student body of 560 moved across the Port Mann Bridge to a new, two-storey building on the current campus in Surrey, B.C. By fall of that year, the elementary school building (now the primary school) was completed and over the next four years, 80,000 square feet of additional space was also added.

Expansion continued to mark the school's 10th anniversary in 1995 with the addition of a 1500-seat auditorium which allowed ample room for a student body which had reached 1,000 as well as room for future enrollment. At Pacific Academy, we've long believed that knowledge and wisdom are two very important, yet very different things that are inextricably intertwined. Knowledge comes from an academic environment where students are challenged to work hard toward a standard of excellence in order to reach their fullest potential. And wisdom comes from maturity - both spiritual and emotional. A wise person both understands and acts on the insights provided by a faith-based education.

Therefore, we do everything we can to create an environment where students can learn and thrive academically and spiritually. This includes a curriculum that weaves a spiritual component into key academic areas. Our science and technology programs help students to recognize how the information explosion (the Internet) is affecting the lives of everyone on earth. They're also taught how to leverage their skills and abilities gained in the sciences and technology to engage our culture and to lead with energy, enthusiasm and discernment wherever God calls them to lead their future career.

God made us as creative beings. And our arts programs seek to encourage students to find the best outlet for their own, individual creativity. Each of our schools - from primary through high school - offers a range of music classes that include band, orchestra, choir and praise worship electives. Visual, verbal and written expression are also encouraged through art, drama, literature, media and graphic courses.

Fine arts are also a big part of life at Pacific Academy. Each year, students participate in a range of productions - including dramatic and musical performances. And one need only walk up and down our halls to see the pieces of student-created artwork on display to see how talented many members of our school are.