A History of Lutheran Christian Private Schools In North America

Lutheran Christian private schools and education were a priority for Lutherans who emigrated to the United States and Australia from Germany and Scandinavia. One of the first things they did was to create Christ-centred schools for their children. This strong educational tradition was handed down from Martin Luther himself. The oldest continuously operating school in the United States is St. Matthew Lutheran School in Manhattan. It was started in 1752 and still operates preschool through to the eighth grade.

When the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) was founded in 1847, this tradition of Lutheran Christian private education was continued. The Synod was started by twelve churches that operated a total of nineteen Christ-centred schools. Several of the churches operated a number of Christian private institutions in the rural countryside, so that students would not have to walk too far to school each day.

Today, over 4,000 Lutheran Schols exist in North America, ranging from Universities and Colleges to Day Cares.  With over half a million students enrolled annually, Lutheran Schools constitute the third largest educational body in Canada and the U.S., trailing only the Public and Separate School systems.