Private schools largely, but not exclusively, Christian

• Bright Futures Christian School, grades preschool-primary, 717 S.E. Everett Road, Camas, 360-833-0558. http://brightfuturesonline.org.

• Camas Montessori School, grades pre-K-K, 1004 N.E. 4th Ave., Camas, 360-834-7434. http://camasmontessori.com.

• Cascadia Montessori School, grades 1-8, 10606 N.E. 14th St., Vancouver, 360-944-8096. http://cascadiaschool.com.

• Cedar Tree Classical Christian School, grades K-12, 20601 N.E. 29th Ave., Ridgefield, 360-887-0190. http://cedartreeschool.org.

• Columbia Adventist Academy, grades 9-12, 11100 N.E. 189th St., Battle Ground 360-687-3161. http://caaschool.org.

• Cornerstone Christian School, grades pre-K-8, 7708 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver, 360-256-9715. http://cornerstoneschool.com.

• Firm Foundation Christian School, grades pre-K-12, 19919 N.E. 107th Ave., Battle Ground, 360-687-8382. http://ffcs.org.

• The Gardner School, grades pre-K-8, 16413 N.E. 50th Ave., Vancouver, 360-574-5752. http://gardnerschool.org.

• Good Shepherd Montessori, grades pre-k-K, 805 S.E. Ellsworth Road, Vancouver, 360-892-7770 www.goodshepherdvancouver.org

• Hosanna Christian School, grades preschool-8, 4120 N.E. St. John’s Road, Vancouver, 360-906-0941. http://hosanna-at-fec.org.

• King’s Way Christian Schools, grades preschool-12, 3300 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver, 360-574-1613. http://kwcs.org.

• La Escuela and Language Academy Inc., grades preschool-6, 7703 N.E. 72nd Ave., Vancouver, 360-883-5658. http://languageacademyinc.com.

• Meadow Glade Adventist Elementary School, grades K-8, 18717 N.E. 109th Ave., Battle Ground, 360-687-5121. http://mgaes.org.

• Mountain View Christian School, grades preschool-8, 2810 N.E. 259th St., Ridgefield, 360-887-4019. http://welovemvcs.com.

• Our Lady of Lourdes, grades pre-K-8, 4701 N.W. Franklin St., Vancouver, 360-696-2301. http://lourdesvan.org.

• Pacific Crest Academy, grades pre-K-8, 324 N.E. Oak St., Camas, 360-834-9913. http://pacificcrestacademy.org.

• Riverside Adventist Christian School, grades pre-K-8, 463 N. Shepherd Road, Washougal, 360-835-5600. http://riversideadventistschool.com.

• Seton Catholic College Preparatory High School, grades 9-12, 811 N.E. 112th Ave., No. 200, Vancouver, 360-258-1932. http://setonhigh.org.

• Skinner Elementary Montessori School, grades pre-K-6, 5001 N.E. 66th Ave., Vancouver, 360-696-4862. http://skinnermontessori.com.

• St. Joseph Catholic School, grades pre-K-8, 6500 Highland Drive, Vancouver, 360-696-2586. stjoevanschool.org.

• Vancouver Christian High School, grades 7-12, 8205 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., 360-735-7915. http://vancouverchristian.com.

Plentiful private school options exist for Clark County families, growing to serve more than 3,000 local students during a down economy.

Most carry religious affiliations and meet a diverse demand for academic and theological rigor.

Latest to join the bunch is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic College Preparatory High School, the first Catholic high school north of the Columbia River since the mid-1960s.

Opened in September 2009, the college-prep school currently operates in a converted business park office on Northeast 112th Avenue in east Vancouver. Its boosters plan to someday build a modern campus on church-owned farmland near the Interstate 5 exit at Ridgefield.

With backing from the Archdiocese of Seattle, leaders intend to draw hundreds of students from as far as Pacific and Wahkiakum counties. By autumn 2010, Seton High more than doubled its initial enrollment, with 82 students.

Cedar Tree Christian Classical School has settled comfortably into new digs in north Clark County. Its Northeast 29th Avenue campus has ample room to expand, with enrollment of about 150 students in grades kindergarten-through-12.

In 2009, the Vancouver Christian High School took over the old Moose Lodge and a 4-acre plot on Vancouver’s East Fourth Plain Boulevard. One year later, it added seventh and eighth grades and now serves more than 100 students.

King’s Way Christian School near Hazel Dell can boast more than 600 students, as it has matured into a grades K-12 campus.

Firm Foundation Christian School, of the Apostolic Lutheran faith, also now serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The longtime Columbia Adventist Academy replaced its 62-year-old school in Meadow Glade with a brand-new building for more than 100 students, part of a $6 million capital investment, completed in 2009.

La Escuela and Language Academy in the Green Meadows area has added another grade level to its full-immersion, Spanish language instruction. It now covers pre-school through grade 6.

There have been setbacks.

Portland Christian Schools dropped its Vancouver branch three years ago. The Woodland Christian School closed its doors by 2009. Faith Lutheran School, which served primary-grade students in Vancouver, shut down last year.

Still, choices abound. Given all those available, including fast-growing online learning options, it’s vital that families scrutinize public and private schools before making a decision.

There is flexibility: For instance, athletes who attend private schools may compete for a public school in cases where their sport is not offered.

Private schools need not follow Washington testing guidelines, so parents should ask what assessments the school does administer. They also would be wise to talk to other school parents for feedback and to meet the principal, to gain confidence in their final choice.