Valley Christian Schools 
The information on this page was last updated 3/26/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
At Valley Christian Schools, we strive to partner with students to develop the gifts God has given each person and honor Him in our excellent academics, award-winning fine arts, and championship athletics.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Valley Christian Schools
6900 W Galveston St
Chandler, AZ 85226
Website: valleychristianaz.org
Phone: 480-705-8888
Organization details
EIN: 860431878
CEO/President: Troy Thelen
Chairman: Michael Gauthier
Board size: 11
Founder:
Ruling year: 1982
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
At Valley Christian Schools, we strive to partner with students to develop the gifts God has given each person and honor Him in our excellent academics, award-winning fine arts, and championship athletics.
Mission statement
he mission of Valley Christian Schools is to equip students to be culture changers for Christ by delivering academic excellence, facilitating spiritual growth, and building lifelong community.
Statement of faith
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
We believe that for salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Ps. 139).
We believe the Bible to be the only inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God (Sola Scriptura).
We believe by Faith alone we are saved and not by works (Sola Fide).
We believe Grace alone is the source of our salvation through Jesus Christ (Sola Gratia).
We believe through Christ alone we are saved (Solus Christus).
We believe all things must be done to the Glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria).
We believe the term "marriage" has only one meaning, the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor. 6:18, 7:2-5, Heb. 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe the differences between male and female, including biological differences, are divinely ordained, integral to God's design for self-conception as male or female, and meant for human good. Therefore, the rejection of one's biological sex and adoption of a transgender self-conception is inconsistent with God's holy purposes in creation and a departure from Christian faithfulness and witness.
Donor confidence score
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Transparency grade
D
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Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: K-12 Schools/Academies
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 1163 of 1435 | 178 of 191 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 1200 of 1435 | 169 of 191 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 693 of 1435 | 94 of 191 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 1066 of 1436 | 163 of 191 |
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 11% | 36% | 15% | 25% | 6% | 10% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 13% | 10% | 11% | 7% | 26% | 26% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 87% | 90% | 89% | 93% | 74% | 74% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 83% | 83% | 90% | 91% | 92% | 77% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 93% | 94% | 100% | 87% | 77% | 87% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 76% | 78% | 90% | 79% | 71% | 67% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 7% | 6% | 0% | 13% | 23% | 13% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 6% | 9% | 0% | 22% | 43% | 32% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 13% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 20% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.54 | 0.39 | 0.38 | 0.27 | 0.38 | 0.41 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.99 | 4.35 | 4.82 | 2.65 | 2.23 | 2.68 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.80 | 1.68 | 1.84 | 0.72 | 0.85 | 1.10 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 2.80 | 2.90 | 2.76 | 1.53 | 1.22 | 1.06 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.35 | 0.34 | 0.36 | 0.65 | 0.82 | 0.94 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 3.98 | 4.69 | 4.16 | 5.78 | 2.57 | 0.64 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 29% | 75% | 77% | 81% | 74% | 81% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 67% | 69% | 56% | 37% | 46% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 117% | 65% | 61% | 69% | 68% | 46% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $9,045,353 | $7,792,427 | $9,213,267 | $4,398,751 | $3,124,339 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $3,023,465 | $2,794,767 | $15,104,025 | $11,852,647 | $7,494,283 |
| Short-term investments | $794,308 | $593,373 | $510,096 | $346,910 | $292,965 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $12,863,126 | $11,180,567 | $24,827,388 | $16,598,308 | $10,911,587 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $43,148,838 | $42,743,681 | $40,959,149 | $20,383,351 | $18,214,465 |
| Other long-term assets | $2,688 | $2,438 | $12,438 | $88,587 | $135,233 |
| Total long-term assets | $43,151,526 | $42,746,119 | $40,971,587 | $20,471,938 | $18,349,698 |
| Total assets | $56,014,652 | $53,926,686 | $65,798,975 | $37,070,246 | $29,261,285 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $716,561 | $455,191 | $625,637 | $704,600 | $551,787 |
| Other current liabilities | $3,717,950 | $3,589,094 | $15,578,563 | $12,884,244 | $9,722,637 |
| Total current liabilities | $4,434,511 | $4,044,285 | $16,204,200 | $13,588,844 | $10,274,424 |
| Debt | $37,516,694 | $37,424,568 | $37,122,696 | $13,900,473 | $13,506,964 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $86,394 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $37,516,694 | $37,424,568 | $37,209,090 | $13,900,473 | $13,506,964 |
| Total liabilities | $41,951,205 | $41,468,853 | $53,413,290 | $27,489,317 | $23,781,388 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $9,404,217 | $11,466,575 | $9,842,584 | $7,313,092 | $4,744,347 |
| With donor restrictions | $4,659,230 | $991,258 | $2,543,101 | $2,267,837 | $735,550 |
| Net assets | $14,063,447 | $12,457,833 | $12,385,685 | $9,580,929 | $5,479,897 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $2,274,199 | $2,186,223 | $1,400,244 | $4,766,276 | $3,602,795 |
| Program service revenue | $19,147,023 | $18,477,980 | $16,355,601 | $12,897,456 | $9,857,111 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $1,745,916 | $81,542 | $2,285,106 | $2,363 | $16,508 |
| Other revenue | ($258,977) | ($144,678) | $622,653 | $522,608 | $299,310 |
| Total other revenue | $20,633,962 | $18,414,844 | $19,263,360 | $13,422,427 | $10,172,929 |
| Total revenue | $22,908,161 | $20,601,067 | $20,663,604 | $18,188,703 | $13,775,724 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $17,920,764 | $18,620,652 | $16,287,990 | $12,885,211 | $9,245,499 |
| Management and general | $2,849,081 | $1,639,221 | $1,261,652 | $882,899 | $2,409,034 |
| Fundraising | $816,929 | $329,392 | $343,541 | $294,321 | $347,456 |
| Total expenses | $21,586,774 | $20,589,265 | $17,893,183 | $14,062,431 | $12,001,989 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $1,321,387 | $11,802 | $2,770,421 | $4,126,272 | $1,773,735 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $1,321,387 | $11,802 | $2,770,421 | $4,126,272 | $1,773,735 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Troy Thelen | CEO & Head of School | $166,035 |
| Timothy Livengood | CFO | $146,687 |
| Daniel Kuiper | Senior Ambassador | $120,295 |
| Thomas Jacobson | Director of Technology | $114,905 |
| Kittren Johnson | Chief Advancement Officer | $112,472 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/26/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Valley Christian was first conceptualized in 1981, when six men, including the senior pastors at Bethany Community Church, First Baptist Church in Tempe, and Grace Community Church, met together to consider the creation of a Christian high school in the East Valley. A year later, Valley Christian High School opened its doors at Bethany Community Church in Tempe to a group of 20 freshmen and sophomores.
The original plan was to grow by a grade level each year, but in year two, VCHS had grown to 40 students but no juniors. The grade levels continued to slowly grow and expand from that point until Valley Christian saw its first graduating class of 20 students in 1986.
Interscholastic athletics began while at the Bethany Campus, but teams had to travel across the Valley for practices and games as the school had no on-campus athletic facilities. Even so, in 1989, the boys track team earned the school's first state championship.
After outgrowing Bethany's campus, VCHS moved during the 1990-91 school year into a strip mall at Broadway and Price Roads in Tempe. The strip mall was revamped to accommodate the high school, but featured L-shaped classrooms, noise pollution from the nearby railroad tracks, and leaky ceilings. During that time, the school was able to miraculously acquire land in Chandler on 56th Street between Ray Road and Chandler Boulevard. In 1993, by God's grace, the Chandler City Council voted to change the city's general plan, which allowed the high school to acquire 17 acres of land and build our permanent high school campus.
The new campus opened in the fall of 1997, and enrollment immediately soared, growing from 224 students in the final year in Tempe to more than 360 students just five years later and more than 400 students by 2005. In 2006, armed with consistent growth and the vision to begin serving all students, VCS started a special education program called our V.I.N.E. program, Valley's Individual Needs Enhancement. Today, this program serves approximately 10% of our student body, with more than 100 students K-12.
After a decade of up-and-down enrollment, and shortly after completing a strategic plan called VC2020, we announced expansion to junior high grades (6-8) to open in the fall of 2018 at Gethsemane Church in Tempe. In the same year, we started the Valley Christian Schools Association (VCSA) with the goal of supporting and growing our Christian feeder schools with marketing and operational support. But instead of growth, three of our five major feeder schools closed their doors within the next twelve months. In an effort to best support the Christian education market in the East Valley, we announced in February of 2019 that we'd be expanding to serve all grades K-12 beginning in the fall. With increased demand in our high school grades at the same time, we also constructed a long-planned, two-story classroom building in 2020, growing our 9-12 grade capacity to 600 students.
After meeting across three campuses for four years, in 2022, we announced the acquisition of the 16-acre Sun Valley Community Church campus in Tempe, which now serves as our permanent K-8 campus. VCS started on Sun Valley's Tempe campus in 1982 (at the time, Bethany Community Church), and our K-8 students have now returned to where it all began. The long-term plan for VCS is to serve 1,500 students across these campuses, 900 in K-8 and 600 in high school. May God be glorified and His Kingdom expanded in this pursuit.