Thirty years ago, Ray and Sharon Ashley took over a private school that was little more than a house.

Now, Ashleys Private School still retains that homey look on the outside, but what once was a four-room building has expanded to at least 10 with room to grow.

“We’ve seen so much change,” Sharon Ashley said. “Cedar Hill itself is just so different now.”

Ashleys has classes for 3-year-olds and children through the fourth grade. Plans are in the works to add a fifth grade to the campus on Belt Line Road, which hosted an open house that drew hundreds of people Jan. 22.

“I make sure I know all of our children by their first names and try to keep things family oriented,” Ashley said. “That’s very important to me.”

The school has about 216 students and 22 teachers that teach in a variety of academic fields. In a computer lab upstairs, the ceiling is decorated with images of spaceships, the space shuttle and maps of the universe.

Downstairs, longtime Ashleys music teacher David Bart spent some time showing parents a homemade rainmaker designed by fourth-graders who filled a long tube with macaroni to simulate the sound of falling rain.

Bart teaches in a room full of instruments, including several keyboards, a drum set, guitars, trumpets, clarinets and trombones.

Nearby, several students played homemade musical instruments fashioned from long rubber tubes for their parents.

Another room was cleared out and used as a playroom, and children took part in a miniature game of dodge ball. Down another hallway, an entire room was decorated from floor to ceiling (and on tables) with student artwork.

Ashley is a former high school and college teacher, and Ray Ashley worked in the aerospace industry before turning to restaurant management.

“We were looking for something to put our two talents together when we moved here,” Ashley said.

The school’s original owner recently came back for a visit and was pleased to see that some her original decorations, such as some heavy wooden benches designed by her husband, were still on display.

Now, Sharon Ashley runs the school while Ray handles the business end of things. Their daughter, Michelle Emmert, develops the school’s curriculum.

“We couldn’t do it without these teachers,” Ashley said. “We’re just so grateful.”

The school’s most precious resource, she said, are its children.

“I’ve enjoyed having the children all these years,” Ashley said. “They are something special that keeps you young.”