SCS to launch Grade 9 in 2026-2027 school year

Saipan Community School will roll out its first-ever high school program beginning with Grade 9 in the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, marking a major expansion for the private, faith-based institution.

SCS principal Amanda Dunn said the school is taking a phased approach to ensure a strong foundation.

“We want to make it obtainable for us and so we can do it well. So we’re going to start next year with grade nine, and so that will allow us to have a freshman class, and then we will grow up with them…until we get all the way through up to 12th grade,” Dunn said.

She added that the gradual rollout will allow the school to build staffing and align with accreditation requirements while maintaining quality.

Saipan Community Church board chair Carlos Santos said the move had been under discussion for years before gaining momentum in 2024 and 2025.

“The board decided to do some surveys and some research because the results were pretty favorable we decided to move forward and go for the launch for this fall of 2026 to the 2027 school year,” Santos said.

Santos, an SCS alumnus and now a legacy parent, emphasized the school’s Christ-centered foundation in guiding the expansion.

“So, just, we put a lot of prayer into this. You know, we’re a faith-based school, and we all have very strong faith that the Lord would lead us to the right direction,” he said.

He added that the high school years are critical in shaping students’ faith.

“The teenage years those were the times that you really come to test your faith. So there’s no better environment than an educational environment that supports that,” Santos said.

He acknowledged concerns about declining population and economic uncertainty, but stressed that the decision was guided by faith and long-term investment in youth.

“Even though the population is declining and maybe the economy may not be favorable, [but] our faith tells us that there’s never a wrong time to invest in your children,” he said.

Dunn said demand for a high school program has been building for years, including feedback from former students.

“I had a [high school] sophomore come up and be like, ‘Miss Amanda, why didn’t you do this for me?’ And I’m like ‘it was God’s timing,’” she said.

She said many alumni have expressed that the school should have expanded earlier, reinforcing the need to move forward now.

Grade 9 coordinator and current teacher William Rosser said the expansion addresses a long-standing gap for families whose children must leave SCS after middle school.

“You start your child. They continue to grow and then they get to eighth grade, and now we have to find another school. Now we can just continue on [and] into high school,” Rosser said.

He added that keeping students through graduation strengthens community ties and allows older students to mentor younger ones.

Rosser also outlined a proposed “dual pathway system” for the high school, offering both college-preparatory and career-oriented tracks.

“By the time you enter into junior year, you have a choice, either go the traditional college route or choose the career pathway, work on certification, entrepreneurship so that hey could get a job and start building up the CNMI,” he said.

Dunn emphasized that beyond academics, the school aims to develop students’ sense of purpose and integrity.

“We’re preparing them for real life. We want to prepare them to have a foundation in integrity and purpose,” she said.

The planned tuition for the high school program is about $5,500 annually, with payment options spread over a 10-month period.

Enrollment officially opened last April 1, with pre-registration already underway. Dunn said families may contact the school directly for inquiries and registration at (670) 234-6687 or her mobile phone at (670) 789-8946.