Quality education is a cornerstone of an enhanced quality of life and since 1979 Columbia Academy (CA) has been preparing students to pursue their dreams, wherever their life journeys take them.
CA serves more than 1,100 students on two campuses: the historic, 67-acre primary campus in the heart of Columbia for grades preschool – 12 and the intimate Spring Hill campus for grades preschool – 6.
The Columbia campus housed the Columbia Arsenal from the time it was built in 1890 until 1905 when it became Columbia Military Academy. In 1979, the military academy board transferred the institution to a board representing local churches of Christ and the school has operated as Columbia Academy ever since.
The Spring Hill campus opened in 2010 to better serve a student body with growing representation form Spring Hill and Thompson’s Station. Located at 756 Beechcroft Rd., the school operates out of a repurposed building that once served as a training facility for GM mechanics. “There were only 30 students when the Spring Hill campus opened but that number today is 160,” says Columbia Academy president, Dr. James Thomas. “It’s a great fit for families where the parents work in Franklin or Brentwood because they can enroll their children at an established school without having to make daily transportation arrangements to Columbia.”
According to Dr. Thomas, families choose Columbia Academy for challenging academics in a nurturing environment, a curriculum that’s taught from a Christian perspective and a wide range of extracurricular activities including drama, music and athletics.
“Private schools have the freedom to teach in a way that is meaningful to the families they serve,” says Dr. Thomas, a 1992 CA graduate now in his 14th year at the helm of his alma mater. “As a Christian school, we have the freedom to teach bible every day and to pray with our students. We’re free to act in the student’s best interest and that’s appealing to many of our families. In addition, we prioritize safety which is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Before they can learn, we must ensure that our students are safe.”
Dr. Thomas calls the Spring Hill campus, “The happiest school in Tennessee. Happy students, teachers and families. Our principal, Nathan Hixson, knows everyone in the school community by name. We’re proud of that and we try to duplicate it in Columbia, but on a larger scale.”
Once enrolled at the Spring Hill campus, that student is a full-fledged Columbia Academy Bulldog and is guaranteed a spot at CA for the balance of his or her secondary education. CA also has bus service available from Spring Hill and Berry Farms for the roughly 20-minute ride into Columbia.
“It is a real blessing to reach out to these growing communities and spread our mission,” says Dr. Thomas. “It sounds like a cliché but there’s a sense of family at Columbia Academy.” CABulldogs.org
