Madison-Ridgeland Academy

Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MRA, Madison-Ridgeland) is a private, co-educational school in Madison, Mississippi, for students from K-3 through 12th grade. There are 4 divisions; the Kindergarten (K3-K5), the Elementary (1st–5th grade), the Middle School (6th–8th grade), and the High School (9th–12th).

Madison-Ridgeland Academy
Address
7601 Old Canton Road Madison , Mississippi United States
Coordinates	32°26′59″N 90°6′25″W
Information
Type	Independent
Motto	Educating the Mind, Body & Spirit
Religious affiliation(s)	Christianity
Established	1969
School district	6A
Dean	Brent Cofield (high school) Danny White (middle school)
Principal	Greg Self (high school) Ben Haindel (middle school)
Headmaster	"Termie" Land
Grades	K3-12
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	1,500 (est.)
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	MRA Red, White, Patriot Blue
Athletics	Basketball, Baseball, Football, Golf, Track & Field, Cross Country, Tennis, Soccer, Volleyball, and Archery
Mascot	Patriot
Nickname	Patriots
Rival	Jackson Prep, Jackson Academy
Accreditation	SACS, SAIS, MAIS
Newspaper	The Patriot Recap
Affiliations	Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Website	www.mrapats.org

History

MRA was housed in a Madison church for its first year as a school; the following year the school relocated to their first facility on their 25 acre campus.^[1]

In 1970, MRA was one of 4 private schools accused by the NAACP of using state provided public funding for textbooks. M. A. Snowden, Executive Secretary of the State Textbook board, stated that Mississippi law requires the loaning of textbooks to all students, whether they attend public or private schools.^[2]

In 2019, University of Mississippi chancellor Glenn Boyce was criticized because of his past affiliation with Madison-Ridgeland Academy.^[3]

Dress code

The school has a strict dress code that requires uniforms.^[4]

Demographics

As of 1986, the school had never enrolled a black student, although it had a nondiscrimination policy and had received several inquiries.^[5] As of 2012, 95 percent of the students were white, 2 percent were Asian and 2 percent were black.^[6]

In 2019, Nicolas Rowan became the school's first African-American salutatorian.^[7]

Athletics

The school's sports programs have won multiple MAIS football championships, the most recent being in 2021. The school nickname is Patriots.^[8]

Basketball coach, Richard Duease, was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2024. He is the winningest boys and girls high school coach in Mississippi, and the third winningest active high school basketball coach in the nation.^[9]

Notable alumni

• Ruston Webster (1980), scout for the Atlanta Falcons, former GM of the Tennessee Titans^[10]
• Tate Ellington (1997), actor
• Dallas Walker (2006), former NFL tight end^[11]
• Saahdiq Charles (2017), offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys^[12]
• Stone Blanton (2022), linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers^[13]
• Josh Hubbard (2023), basketball player for the Mississippi State Bulldogs^[14]