Benton Academy


Benton Academy is an independent, co-educational college preparatory school in Benton, Mississippi. It is a member of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools. It was founded as a segregation academy in 1969. Although in 2014 Benton Academy claims to have a nondiscriminatory policy, as is required by Runyon v. McCrary, as of 2016, the school still did not enroll a single black student. The school is located in Yazoo County, Mississippi, which has a population that is 57 percent black as of the 2010 census.

History

Benton Academy was founded in 1969 as a segregation academy in response to the court ordered racial desegregation of public schools.
The school opened in January 1970 in the middle of school year.
In 1977, the NAACP called for the principal of Benton High School to resign since he was perceived to condone segregation by sending his children to Benton Academy.

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 242 K-12 students enrolled in 20152016 was:
Benton Academy athletic teams compete in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools league.

Notable alumni