Legacy Christian Celebrates Fifth School Year, Adding to Phelps County’s Community Assets

As students across Phelps County settle into a new school year, Legacy Christian School is celebrating a milestone of its own: five years of educating local students. What began in 2022 with just over 20 students in kindergarten through fourth grade has grown into a school serving 80 students from preschool through sixth grade, supported by 19 staff members.

Phelps County offers an impressive variety of educational options, from small rural schools in Bertrand and Loomis to Holdrege Public Schools, All Saints Catholic School, and the newest school, Legacy Christian School.

The school options make Phelps County an attractive place to live, work and raise a family.

Legacy Christian Principal Michelle Fritz said that when families can find the schools, activities, churches, businesses, and other resources that fit their needs locally, it makes the community more attractive to both current and prospective families.

“Public school, private school, and homeschooling all serve an important purpose, and parents should have the opportunity to choose the environment that best aligns with their family's needs, values, and goals,” Fritz said. “Having more educational options makes a community stronger because it allows families to find an educational path that works for them without feeling like they have to leave the community to find it.”

Legacy Christian is a non-denominational, private, Christian elementary school that focuses on a biblical worldview, a love of learning, and supporting parents as they raise their child.  It is located in the former R-7 school building south of Holdrege.

Legacy has brought new jobs and new families to the community over the past five years.  Legacy families span about a 30-mile radius in all directions, Fritz said.

“We have families driving from Alma, Elm Creek, Axtell, Wilcox, Overton, and Bertrand,” she said, adding that staff members are from Phelps County as well as Kearney, Overton, and Alma.

“We are grateful for the families who choose to stay in the area and send their children here, the staff members who work here, the businesses we are able to support, and especially the many people who have embraced our vision,” Fritz said.

“Ultimately, I think a strong community is one where families have reasons to stay, reasons to come back, and reasons to invest,” she said. “Legacy is one small piece of that. We are grateful that families see our school as a place where they can educate their children, build relationships, grow in their faith, and remain connected to the community around them.”

Fritz said that while they don’t have a specific dollar amount to put on Legacy's economic impact, the impact extends beyond the number of students enrolled.

“Over the past five years, Legacy has created jobs, brought families into our community, invested in local goods and services, and contributed to projects that have involved local contractors and businesses,” she said. “We have been blown away by the number of individuals, businesses, churches, and families who have invested in Legacy, not only financially, but through prayer, encouragement, volunteer hours, and resources.”

Looking ahead, Fritz said Legacy is prayerfully considering expanding beyond sixth grade into the junior high years.

While growth has brought new opportunities, Fritz said Legacy’s ultimate goal is not simply to become a larger school.

“At the end of the day, we all benefit when children are being well-educated, families are supported, and parents have meaningful choices for their kids,” Fritz said. “For Legacy, we are grateful to be one piece of that larger community.”