Central Academy (Mississippi)

Central Academy (CA) was a private school in Macon, Mississippi, at 300 Hale Street. It was founded in 1968 as a segregation academy.[2] Central closed in 2017, citing dropping enrollments.[3] The population of Noxubee County had dropped in every decade since 1940.

Central Academy
Address
300 Hale Street

Macon
,
Mississippi
Coordinates33.114888°N 88.5634412°W / 33.114888; -88.5634412
Information
TypePrivate
Established1968
Closed2017
HeadmasterWilliam Walker
Teaching staff13 (FTE)
GradesPK–12
Enrollment82[1]
Color(s)Blue and Gold
SloganUnlocking and expanding God's great gift; the mind
NicknameVikings
AccreditationMississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS)
Websitehttps://web.archive.org/web/20180105114012/https://caviking.org/

The school used the A Beka curriculum.[4] All staff were certified by the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools.[4]

History

The school was founded in 1968 as an alternative to integrated public schools. White student enrollment in public schools dropped from 829 to 71 during this period.[5] Public School Board funds were secretly used to build the school. When this became public, the NAACP called for the resignation of all board members who had knowledge of this deal.[6] According to the school website, the original buildings at Central Academy were built in 1968 by Arthur Varner at a cost of only $3.00 per square foot, as a result of donated labor. The first headmaster was John Barrett, who resigned as superintendent of Noxubee County Schools in July of the same year. Barrett assured parents they would receive public financial assistance to help pay tuition.[7][8]

In 1970s, the school's tax exempt status was revoked by the IRS when the school declined to share documentation that it had a racially nondiscriminatory admissions policy.[9] In 1975, the school was involved in a lawsuit due to their refusal to release student transcripts to public schools.[10] In 1978, the school was forced to repay funds they had received illegally, due to their discriminatory admissions policy.[11] By 1982, the school's IRS tax exemption had not been restored, reflecting its policy to exclude non-white students.[12]

In 1982, the NAACP called for the resignation of all Noxubee county school board members who had knowledge of the board's aid to Central Academy, which at the time did not enroll any black students.[6]

Recent status

In the 2015–2016 school year, 63 of 69 students enrolled in grades 1-12 were white, 6 were black (9%).[1] In 2016, Noxubee County was 71% black.[13]

As of 2017, the school maintained a non-discrimination policy on their website and had a small number of minority students in attendance.[1][4] The school maintained a corporal punishment policy. Boys were not permitted to wear earrings; girls were permitted no piercings other than earrings. School-wide drug tests were permissible, as were random drug tests.[14]

In May 2017, Central Academy had dwindled to 51 students in grades k4–12. The board of directors, known by the name The Noxubee Educational Foundation, unanimously voted to close the school at the end of the school year.[15][16] The last day of classes held at Central Academy were May 19, 2017.[3]

References
  1. "Private School Universe Survey". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. Bolton, Charles C. (2005). The Hardest Deal of All. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578067176.
  3. Lamphin, Eric (April 20, 2017). "VIDEO: MACON'S CENTRAL ACADEMY CLOSING DOWN". WCBI. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  4. "CA Brochure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  5. Swartz, David R (19 October 2004). "October 2004 Swartz". Goshen College. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. "Schools board member resigns before NAACP asks". Clarksdale Press-Register. May 19, 1982. p. 11.
  7. "Schools". Winston County Journal. June 26, 1969.
  8. "History". Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  9. Anklam, Frank (January 16, 1982). "State private schools alone in tax issue". Clarion-Ledger. p. 3.
  10. "Columbus schools face academy admission suit". Greenwood Commonwealth. January 8, 1975.
  11. "Four segregated schools repay funds". The Yazoo Herald. 23 August 1978. p. 1.
  12. TAYLOR, STUART Jr.; Times, Special to the New York (1982). "EX-TAX OFFICIALS ASSAIL SHIFT ON SCHOOL EXEMPTION STATUS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  13. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Noxubee County, Mississippi". www.census.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  14. "STUDENT HANDBOOK (2015)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  15. Minichino, Adam (9 May 2017). "Central Academy celebrates at last all-sports banquet". The Dispatch. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  16. "Macon's Central Academy Closing Down". WCBI TV. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
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