Montgomery Academy (Alabama)

The Montgomery Academy is a non-sectarian independent day school located in Montgomery, Alabama. It offers education from kindergarten through twelfth grade, with just under 900 students overall.

The school was started in 1959, during a time when many schools in the area were changing. It began as a place for students to receive a good education away from the larger public school system. Today, it continues to serve families looking for a private school option in the Montgomery area.

History

The Montgomery Academy is a private school in Montgomery, Alabama. It opened in 1959 during a time of big changes in how schools were run. The school started with classes for children in grades 1 through 6 and grew over the years.

In the early years, the school did not allow students of all races to attend together. By 1970, the school changed its rules to say that race would not be a reason to refuse a student. The first Black student joined the school in 1973. Today, the school says it welcomes students of all races and backgrounds.

Facilities

The Montgomery Academy started in a historic mansion built in 1906, which was later torn down for a highway. In 1963, the school moved to a new location on Vaughn Road, where the Middle and Upper Schools are now.

As more students joined, the school added more classrooms, a library, a gym, and other spaces over the years. In the late 1980s, a new campus on Perry Hill Road opened for younger students.

In 1996, a big library was added to the Vaughn Road campus. Later, a new building for older students and a bridge were built. The school also created fields for baseball, softball, and soccer.

In 2007, the school updated an old building called Mead Hall, adding a theater and spaces for drama and speaking activities. They also built a new track around a soccer field, made by the same company that built the track for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Academics

The Montgomery Academy offers a curriculum that prepares students for college, with over 85 different high school courses in nine subjects. Students must take at least five academic courses at all times, and there are 30 advanced and honors classes available in all core subjects. Students from the school have also taken part in projects to support racial harmony and to learn about Montgomery's connections to the Civil Rights Movement.

The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is part of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Alabama Association of Independent Schools.

Athletics

Montgomery Academy's sports teams are called the Eagles, and their school colors are cardinal red and navy blue. They compete against other high schools in Alabama through the Alabama High School Athletic Association. The school has two main rivals in Montgomery: Trinity Presbyterian School and St. James School. These schools, along with others, take part in the Capital City Conference.

Many students at the school enjoy playing sports. The Academy has been recognized for its success in many sports and has won many state championships over the years. Some of these championships include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Championships

The school has won state championships in several sports, such as:

• Baseball (1981)
• Boys’ Basketball (2025, 2026)
• Girls' Basketball (1999)
• Cheerleading (1993)
• Boys' Cross Country (2002, 2013, 2014, 2025)
• Girls' Cross Country (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2024, 2025)
• Football (1987)
• Boys' Golf (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2026)
• Boys’ Soccer (2025)
• Girls' Soccer (2001, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
• Boys' Tennis (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021)
• Girls' Tennis (1971, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
• Girls' Track and Field (2006, 2013, 2014)
• Volleyball (1986, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023)

Notable students and faculty

Montgomery Academy has been attended or taught by several well-known people. Josh Thomas played football for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. Artur Davis served four terms in the United States House of Representatives. Jason Sanford is a science fiction author and editor. Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. graduated from the school in 1992 and later became a United States district judge. Dick Brewbaker was a former member of the Alabama State Senate. Mark Barnes, an attorney and public health administrator, attended the Academy from 1966 to 1972. Rusty Hardin, also an attorney, taught history at the school for a year in the 1960s. Actress Sarah Catherine Hook and businessman Mark Smucker, who later became president and CEO of the JM Smucker Company, also have ties to Montgomery Academy.