Lee Academy (South Carolina)

Lee Academy, formerly Robert E. Lee Academy, is a co-educational private school in Bishopville, South Carolina, United States. It was established in 1965 as a segregation academy[3][4][5] and continued to serve an overwhelmingly white student body in the 2000s, with only three black students among a student body of more than 250 in 2018.

Lee Academy
Address
630 Cousar Street

Bishopville
,
South Carolina
29010

United States
Coordinates34°13′25″N 80°13′50″W
Information
TypePrivate school
Established1965 (1965)
NCES School ID01265066[1]
Head of schoolBrad Bochette[2]
Teaching staff24.8 (on an FTE basis)[1]
GradesPK–12
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment283 (2017–2018, excluding PK)[1]
Student to teacher ratio11.4[1]
NicknameCavaliers
Websitewww.myleeacademy.org

History

Prior to 1965, Bishopville High School served white students, while black students attended Dennis High School three blocks away. In 1965, the Federal government mandated the integration of public schools in South Carolina. In response, many segregation academies like Robert E. Lee Academy were established by white parents so their children could continue with a segregated education.[6][7] The school was named after Confederate general Robert E. Lee. According to SCISA founder Tom Turnipseed, Robert E. Lee academy was part of a pattern to oppose integration by founding segregated private schools, and naming them after Confederate leaders. As a result of the support of Lee Academy by Bishopville's white power structure, public schools in Lee county struggled to raise taxes to educate their predominantly black student populations.[8]

As of 2000, the school did not enroll a single black student. In contrast, 92% of students in Lee County Public Schools were black.[9] As of 2018, the school had three black students out of 268 total students.[1]

In the summer of 2020, the school announced plans to change the name to Lee Academy.[2]

Academics

The school is accredited by the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA)[10] and is internationally accredited by Cognia.[11] College credits can be earned through Central Carolina Technical College.[12]

Athletics

In 2019, the school won the SCISA 2A championship in baseball.[13]

References
  1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for ROBERT E LEE ACADEMY". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  2. Brunson, Dennis (July 21, 2020). "Head of Lee Academy details the reasons behind name change". Sumter Item. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  3. Bird, Jeffrey Allan (2021). The Lost Cause, Reconciliation, and White Supremacy in South Carolina's Education System, 1920-1940 (MA). Indiana University. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. Estes, Steve (2015). Charleston in Black and White: Race and Power in the South after the Civil Rights Movement. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 93. ISBN 9781469622323.
  5. Gloria Ladson-Billings (October 2004). "Landing on the Wrong Note: The Price We Paid for Brown". Educational Researcher. 33 (7): 3–13. doi:10.3102/0013189x033007003. JSTOR 3700092. S2CID 144660677.
  6. "DENNIS HIGH SCHOOL". SC Picture Project. December 11, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  7. Burns, Randy (February 18, 2011). "March on Elliott to celebrate Lee County's black leaders". Sumter Item. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  8. Turnipseed, Tom (April 12, 1999). "It's time for educational justice". The Times and Democrat. p. 16. Retrieved October 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Segregation still a problem in Lee county youth baseball". Orangeburg Times & Democrat. August 23, 2000. p. 11. Retrieved October 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Lee Academy". South Carolina Independent School Association. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  11. "Institution Summary". Cognia. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  12. "2018-2019 Annual Effectiveness Report" (PDF). Central Carolina Technical College. p. 20. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  13. "Robert E. Lee Academy baseball team wins SCISA Class 2A state championship". May 16, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
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