Grace Christian Academy (Illinois)
Grace Christian Academy (GCA) is an accredited Preschool-12th grade private, evangelical, Christian school located in Kankakee, Illinois. GCA serves students in Kankakee County, Iroquois County, and Will County. History. In 1973, Grace Baptist Church in Kankakee, Illinois, founded Grace Baptist Academy as a school for kindergarten through sixth grade. In 1975 the academy expanded to serve junior high students, and in 1977, added high school classes. It is a private, non-profit corporation. In December 2012, Grace Baptist Academy changed its name to Grace Christian Academy, "to better represent the students and faculty made up of  multiple Christian denominations". In January 2020, GCA was granted accreditation through the Association of Christian Schools International. Until the beginning of the 2020 school year, the school was part of the Illinois Christian Conference Association for athletic competitions. In the fall of 2020, GCA became affiliated the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) for sports and other extra-curricular activities. GCA joined the River Valley Conference for athletic competitions, effective for the 2021 school year.