Terrell Academy

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

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

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.

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]

References

1. Equal Educational Opportunity: Hearings Before the Select Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity, Ninety-first Congress, Second Session-92nd Congress, First Session, Volume 10. Hearings before the Select Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1970. p. 2034. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
2. Coleman, Terry (August 8, 1977). "The town where Carter's pledges are on trial". The Guardian. Manchester, UK. p. 11.
3. Covington, Dick; Bowler, Mike (July 19, 1970). "South Georgia on Forced Integration: Underneath the stifling quite..." Atlanta Constitution. p. 22A.
4. Stewart, Steve (July 1, 1973). "For learning or for Segregation". Atlanta Constitution. p. 20A.
5. Montgomery, Bill (August 9, 1977). "White residents are mystified by all the fuss over the Dawson Five". The Miami News. p. 12.
6. "Terrell Academy Inc Form 990 2015". ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
7. Keating, Thomas R. (April 4, 1978). "He'll Make Big Hit Here". The Indianapolis Star. p. 17. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
8. "Swindell talks wild year, Terrell Academy days". WALB. May 6, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
9. "Search for Private Schools - School Detail for TERRELL ACADEMY".