About St. Paul Lutheran School

Quality Christian Education

St. Paul provides an affordable Christian experience in Education. In addition to our strong academic program, we also offer a variety of extra-curricular activities including cross country, volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, speech team, and track.

St. Paul Lutheran School was established in the Fall of 1961 for the purpose of providing the best in Christian Education to the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church and to the community.

Today, St. Paul has 165 students in Pre-school through grade eight. St. Paul has an average class size of 13 students. About 40% of the students of St. Paul are member of our congregation. Another 55% are members of other area Christian churches while 5% do not belong to a church.

St. Paul provides an affordable Christian experience in Education. In addition to our strong academic program, we also offer a variety of extra-curricular activities including soccer, volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, speech team, and track.

St. Paul Lutheran School was established in the Fall of 1961 for the purpose of providing the best in Christian Education to the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church and to the community.

A brief history of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School

St. Paul Lutheran Church was organized on Feburary 24, 1897. The opened their first school in 1922, but this first school only lasted 12 years. The church moved to its present site on 10th Ave. in 1960, with a new school opening the following year.

St. Paul has been broadcasting their Sunday services on local radio station WRHL since 1967.

In 1997, the congregation began “Forward by Grace” a capital improvement fund. This fund resulted in the expansion of the present church and school. This expansion opened in 1999.

Presently, St. Paul is led by Rev. Gregory Hoffmann who has served the congregation since 2008.

Statement of Faith

BELIEF and PRACTICE

With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.

Being “Lutheran”

Our congregations accept and preach the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.

Grace Alone

God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.

Faith Alone

By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.

Scripture Alone

The Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.

Who is Jesus?

For more than 2,000 years people have asked this question. We were not present when Jesus lived on this earth, but in the Bible we have the record of His birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. Through the study of the Bible, you can seek the answer to this age-old question.

For more information, please visit: http://www.lcms.org/belief-and-practice

Our Mission

The mission of St. Paul Lutheran School proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ through academic excellence while reflecting God’s love in all His children.”

NLSA Accredited

St. Paul is accredited by the National Lutheran School Association and has full recognition status from the Illinois State Board of Education.

2025-2026 School Board Members

Officers
President – Dorene Albaugh
dalbaugh@stpaulrochelleil.org

Vice-President -John Vandre: johnvandre@gmail.com

Secretary-Janet Sarver: janetsarver@ymail.com

Members:

Brandi Johnson: brandi@flooringmarket.com

Brett Metzger: brett.m.metzger@gmail.com

Kelly Soost: kelsoo@aol.com

Sheri Kennay: skennay07@yahoo.com

Board Information

Click below for a copy of the most recent school board documents.

November 2025 Minutes

December 1, 2025 Agenda

Upcoming Meetings:

Monday, November 3, 2025. 5:30pm

All meetings begin at 5:30pm. in the 7th grade classroom unless otherwise noted.

What Our Alumni Say

Testimonial 1

After high school, I went to Kishwaukee College with tuition paid by scholarship for an Associate’s in Science and then transferred to NIU for a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. While in college, I worked for a few years at a startup software company called Equilibrium Contact Center Inc. in Rockford as their programmer building a web-based call center software from scratch. This past January, I started a new job at Cleo in Loves Park where I work as a Software Engineer for their data movement software. I am on the board of R.O.C.K Ministry based in Rochelle, which is a Christian youth retreat (high school through age 20) that meets two weekends every year and serve on those retreats each year.
http://www.meetyouatthetop.org

Alex Hauck – St. Paul Class of 2006

Testimonial 2

After graduating St. Paul, I went to Rochelle Township High School and graduated in the top 10 of my class. I participated in the Marching Band as a Drum Major for 3 years, on the cheerleading squad for all four years, as well as in Student Council, Silver Cord Program, and National Honors Society. I went to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, studying Spanish and Molecular and Cellular Biology. I graduated in 2012 and am currently in my 4th year of medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. I will graduate in May 2016 and then attend a yet-to-be-determined Family Medicine Residency Program, likely in the Midwest. At St. Paul, I still remember practicing the skits and stories we would use during our class-led chapel service each year. I enjoyed practicing the lines with my classmates and these chapel services were a great time to develop our Christian faith. I played basketball, volleyball, and was a cheerleader while at St. Paul, and I remember going to the State tournament almost every year. It was fun to be with my classmates and friends at these events, and it was interesting to see so many other kids from the other schools who went to schools just like the one I went to, where they strengthened their faith every day, just like I did. Looking back, I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without those 10 years at St. Paul. I learned to be assertive, but polite. I learned to be honest and to work hard. Being in a smaller classroom setting, the teachers knew us very well, and we were not permitted to “slip through the cracks.” I learned so much about all of my classmates, and all of them were my close friends throughout my time at St. Paul. I honestly appreciate my time at St. Paul and am so grateful to have been there for 10 years.

Emily Metzger – St. Paul Class of 2004

Testimonial 3

Typically middle school is a time of terror and low self-esteem, but frankly, I was able to come out of my 8th grade year knowing that St. Paul was a format of schooling I would never be a part of again and hoped not to take it for granted. Being with the same core people from Kindergarten to 8th grade really doesn’t make you best friends- it makes you brothers and sisters. I came to school knowing teachers all around me were rooting for each of our individual successes and picked us up through our failures. More than anything, thouhg, was the solid rock on which is built my life- Jesus Christ. Heading into high school I really didin’t know how much spiritual warfare I would encounter and my head slipped underwater, but my junior year I was able to reach back on what I had engrained in my brain for 8 years, the power and glory of Jesus, which helped get me back on track. Going to college I am academically and spiritually unafraid to conquer anything that comes in my path, and I can claim that some of my confidence comes from my years here at St. Paul.

Lauren Murphy – St. Paul Class of 2011