History

Currey Ingram Academy was founded as Westminster School of Nashville in 1968 and was housed in Westminster Presbyterian Church for 34 years.

Thanks to a lead gift from alumni parents Stephanie Currey Ingram and John Rivers Ingram, the school moved to its current 83-acre campus in 2002.

In recent years, students have enrolled from more than 33 states and eight foreign countries, their families citing Currey Ingram Academy as a major reason for their move to Middle Tennessee.
Dr. Jane N. Hannah's book, A History of Currey Ingram from 1999-2022, is now available in the Spirit Store for $10. All proceeds go to the Thomas Hannah Endowed Scholarship Fund.
 
This book tells the story of how Currey Ingram Academy continued its mission at Westminster through the transition to our current campus and becoming the Currey Ingram Academy that we know today. In this book, numerous educators have shared stories of how their lives intersected with many students who have flourished at Currey Ingram and beyond. Enjoy reading a story of “us” — educators, parents, students, and friends.



Accreditation

Currey Ingram Academy is accredited by Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS).

Affiliations

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (NAIS)
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a nonprofit membership association that provides services to more than 1,800 schools and associations of schools in the United States and abroad, including more than 1,500 independent private K-12 schools in the U.S.

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (SAIS)
SAIS is a membership organization of over 375 independent K-12 schools, representing over 200,000 students. The mission of SAIS is to strengthen member schools by providing high quality accreditation processes, comprehensive professional growth opportunities, and visionary leadership development programs.

TENNESSEE ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (TAIS)
TAIS is a voluntary association of sixty-plus schools located throughout the state of Tennessee and northern Mississippi. While each school is unique, they share key qualities: they provide strong academic programs, appreciate students as unique individuals, promote student engagement in their school communities, and facilitate the moral and ethical growth of their students.
 
THE DYSLEXIA FOUNDATION
TDF is a non-profit organization, established in 1989 to identify and assist children with dyslexia – to establish higher levels of learning through specialized programs promoting better reading.

ASSOCIATION OF LD SCHOOLS (ALDS)
Founded in 2023, ALDS is a formal community for schools that specialize in education of students with learning differences, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and executive dysfunction. CIA is proud to be a founding member of ALDS.

COMMON SENSE EDUCATION
Common Sense Education supports K–12 schools with free, timely, and research-based resources for teaching in the digital age. The provide core resources including comprehensive K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum, all-inclusive reviews of the most popular and latest edtech tools, and expert advice on how to use those tools most effectively in the classroom.

ONE SCHOOLHOUSE
One Schoolhouse is a supplemental educational organization that provides courses and programs for students and adult learners. Its mission is to empower learning and transform education by leading through innovation, inspiring learners, and partnering with schools and organizations.

Currey Ingram Academy is also an institutional member of Common Sense Media Education, Independent Schools of the Nashville Area, International Dyslexia Association, and the Small Boarding Schools Association.

Milestones

List of 22 items.

  • 1967

    Carol and Bobby Henderson ask Westminster Presbyterian Church leaders to provide space for an innovative educational program for their son, Britt. A planning committee of church members, community professionals, and public school officials develop a model for the class.
  • 1968

    Westminster School of Nashville is founded with an inaugural class of eight students.
  • 1970

    Thanks, in part, to the efforts of parent Ann Riley Miller Wingard and her family, the school forges a relationship with Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development for internships and research and hires Barbara D. Gregg as its new director (following its original director, Sue Hasham, who moved away from Nashville in late 1969).
  • 1978

    An advisory board of local professionals, parents, and church members is formed and continues today as an independent Board of Trustees.
  • 1980

    Computers are introduced as teaching aids.
  • 1990

    The school is named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • 1995

    Kathy Rayburn becomes Head of Westminster School.
  • 2001

    On May 14th, the school holds an official groundbreaking ceremony on 83 acres in Brentwood, Tennessee, just south of Nashville.

    Apple Computers designates Currey Ingram Academy as an Apple Showcase School.
  • 2002

    Westminster School of Nashville officially becomes Currey Ingram Academy.

    In August, Currey Ingram Academy opens its 2002-03 school year at its new campus.
  • 2003

    A lower school building (John Rivers Ingram Hall) opens for grades K-4.
  • 2004

    The school's first class of seniors begins classes in August; now, Currey Ingram Academy is a K-12 school.
  • 2005

    The school graduates its first class of seniors, a group of nine students, in May. In September, Currey Ingram reaches a record K-12 enrollment.
  • 2007

    The school breaks ground on Jim and Jan Carell Hall, Currey Ingram's new Upper School building (to be completed in Spring 2009).
  • 2009

    The school opens Jim and Jan Carell Hall, Currey Ingram's first-ever Upper School building.
  • 2010

    The athletic facility expands and is named The Jan Carell Field House.  The facility includes a dining hall; The Frist Gymnasium, the previously existing performance gym; The Mustang Gymnasium, a new 7,400-square-foot practice gym; Jan and Randy Short Strength and Conditioning Center, a new weight and workout room; and Jeffrey Kuhn Field, the previously existing football/soccer field.

    Five brand-new tennis courts between Jeffrey Kuhn Field and Crocker Field were added to the campus.
  • 2012

    The school breaks ground on Jennifer & Billy Frist Hall, a new administrative and student center building that will house a dining hall for grades 5-12 and the school's first central library and media center, as well as all core administrative offices. Frist Hall is set to open in August 2013.
  • 2013

    Effective June 30, Kathy Rayburn retires as Head of School after 18 years of service. Paul Wenninger is named Interim Head of School for one year while the Board of Trust conducts a national search for a permanent Head to begin on July 1, 2014.

    The school opens Jennifer & Billy Frist Hall. This facility is the new student center that houses the school's first central library and media center, a dining hall for grades 5-12 and includes a new adminstrative wing.
  • 2014

    Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell is named Head of School, effective July 1.
  • 2016

    The school is the first independent school in the nation to receive the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) Rozelle Founders Award.
  • 2019

    Currey Ingram Academy enters a partnership with Nashville SC to temporarily house Nashville’s inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) team on-campus and to be the permanent location for the Nashville SC Academy. In conjunction with the partnership, the addition of 2 grass fields, an artificial turf soccer field, a 6-lane track, and Academy Pavilion are built.
  • 2020

    In March, due to a global pandemic, the school transitioned to remote, virtual learning, to finish the 2019-2020 school year. 

    In August, a Residential Life program opens on campus to students in grades 9-12. The school returned to in-person learning to start the school year and maintained it for the duration of the global pandemic.

    In the fall, the golf practice and auxiliary field on campus was named Hewitt Field to honor the contributions of Carol and Dan Hewitt. Carol's parents founded Westminster Academy and the Hewitt's continue to support Currey Ingram.
  • 2023

    Currey Ingram achieved an all-time record enrollment of over 400 students.

School Recognitions

The Currey Ingram Academy Crest


The white rose
is from the Currey family crest and symbolizes love.

The magnolia represents the academy's 34 years as the Westminster School of Nashville (1968-2002).

The oak leaves and acorns symbolize continuous growth and strong educational ideals.

The escallop shell is from the Ingram family crest and symbolizes long, successful journeys.

Civitas Discipulorum is the academy's motto and is Latin for a "community of learners."

50th Anniversary

List of 1 news stories.

  • Celebrating 50 Years of Transformational Education

    When Carol and Bobby Henderson asked Westminster Presbyterian Church in 1968 to consider opening a school that would serve their son and others like him, they never imagined that this school would become a global leader in the education of students with learning differences. Over the past 50 years, thousands of Middle Tennessee students and their families have had a transformational learning experience.
     
    Effectively educating students with learning differences is complex and challenging but Currey Ingram Academy has shown it’s possible. From the inception of Westminster School of Nashville in 1968 and continuing with Currey Ingram Academy, we have always believed that it’s possible for students to learn and to achieve their fullest potential.
     
    Read More

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Currey Ingram Academy is an exemplary PreK-12 day and boarding school that empowers students with learning differences to achieve their fullest potential. Since 2002, the school has been located on an 83-acre campus in Brentwood, Tennessee, just miles from Nashville and Franklin. Families from 33 states and eight countries cite the school as their primary reason for moving to Middle Tennessee.

Currey Ingram Academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and AdvancEd/Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).