Okinawa Christian School was established in 1957 as a school for the children of missionaries living in Okinawa. During the first year, Mrs. Esther Austin taught a class of 11 students in Mashiki, in Ginowan. The school eventually moved into a more permanent facility on present-day Camp Lester (then called Camp Kuwae) consisting of two Quonset huts. Missionary parents who started the school were aware that many other parents desired a Christian, English-language education at an affordable price. Believing that every child deserved an opportunity to receive an education taught from a Biblical perspective, the missionaries decided to open the doors of the school to any child, regardless of religious affiliation.
