New Covenant expanding with Life360 purchase

Last edited 12:50 p.m., March 3, 2015

In a move intended to nearly double its student count, New Covenant Academy penned a deal to buy nearby property from Life360 Church.

The private Christian college preparatory school signed a contract to acquire Life360’s Park Crest campus at 3581 S. Kansas Ave. for an undisclosed amount, said Glenda Scott, development director for the school. Life360 plans to relocate its campus to the Palace Springfield theater building in Chesterfield Village.

The 9.7-acre Life360 campus has a 44,000-square-foot church building. Scott said the school will use the property to launch a new campus for fifth-eighth graders. The move would increase New Covenant’s student capacity to 900 students, up from its current enrollment of 526.  

“What that does for our current campus is that it frees up all kinds of room,” Scott said, noting the extra space at 3304 S. Cox Ave. would allow more breathing room for younger children and high schoolers.

During the past five years, New Covenant’s enrollment has grown by 56 percent, she said.

The new campus also gives students access to a second practice gym and an 800-seat auditorium.

Scott said, originally, New Covenant wanted to build another gym on its own campus. The school then approached Life360 about buying their campus, and the contract was sealed when Life360 moved to buy the Palace theater property. Both deals are expected to close within 90 days.

New Covenant expects to open the new campus for the 2018-19 academic year in August 2018. Scott said the school will lease the campus back to Life360 until the church relocates to Chesterfield Village.