Terrell Academy

This article is about the school in Dawson, Georgia. For Charles Henry Terrell Academy in Augusta, see Augusta, Georgia.

Terrell Academy is a private K3-12 school in Dawson, Georgia, seat of Terrell County. It serves 380 students. The school has a controversial history as a segregation academy.

Terrell Academy
Location
Dawson, Georgia
Coordinates	31.7631142°N 84.4316996°W / 31.7631142; -84.4316996
Information
Type	Private
NCES School ID	00296492
Grades	K3-12
Website	www.terrellacademy.com

History

Terrell was founded in 1970 as a segregation academy.^[1][2] In the summer of 1970, a senior told the Atlanta Constitution she enrolled in Terrell Academy so she "didn't have to spend the rest of her life sitting next to a nigger."^[3]

In 1973, headmaster Thomas Church told the Atlanta Constitution that racial situation in Terrell County School District boosted the private school’s enrollment.^[4]

In 1977, Terrell Academy director W.C. Woodall acknowledged that the school was founded in response to a court order mandating the integration public school faculty. Woodall stated that although he personally supported racial segregation, black students would be welcome at Terrell.^[5]

The school was however granted tax-exempt status in 1970.^[6]

Alumni

• Harry Spilman, baseball player^[7]
• Cole Swindell, country music performer^[8]

In 2020, in grades PK-12, the school had a total of 351 students and 32.1 teachers on a full-time equivalent basis. The school did not report demographic information to the NCES.^[9]