Asheville Christian Academy (ACA) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian school A Christian school is a Parochial school, religious school run on Christianity, Christian principles or by a Christian organization. These schools often include religious education and worship in their curriculum. They may also have a distinct Ch ...

for grades K–12 in

Buncombe County, North Carolina Buncombe County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina C ...

. It is located on a 60-plus-acre campus in the

Swannanoa River The Swannanoa River flows through the Swannanoa Valley of the region of Western North Carolina, and is a major tributary to the French Broad River. Its headwaters arise in Black Mountain, North Carolina; however, it also has a major tributary ...

Valley, approximately 12 miles from downtown Asheville. The school is accredited by

Cognia Cognia Cloud was a British cloud-based compliance archiving and analytics company. It provided recording and regulatory solutions to financial institutions, telecommunications service provider and field services enterprises. It was headquartered ...

, a standards-based accreditation body and the

Association of Christian Schools International The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), founded in 1978, is an international organization of evangelical Christian schools. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It offers tiers of oversight, from school accredit ...

(ACSI), with a teaching faculty of over 50, half of whom hold advanced degrees. The school is governed by a corporation made up of parents, alumni, faculty, staff and other stake holders who elect a board of trustees. The headmaster since 1992 has been William George. The school's enrollment in 2020 is 647.

History

The school was founded in 1959 as Asheville Christian Day School, meeting at First Alliance Church. In 1972, it merged with Blue Ridge Christian Academy, under the new name Asheville Christian Academy. The school occupied a campus on Bell Road in the Haw Creek community of Asheville, until the current campus was established in 2003. Grades 10-12 were added in 1988. In 2012 graduating ACA seniors were accepted at more than 70 four-year universities and colleges. It also operates jointly with the local Asheville Buncombe Tech Community College and

Montreat College Montreat College (pronounced "mon-treet") is a private, Christian college in Montreat, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1916, the college offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs for traditional and adult students. Th ...

in a dual enrollment program for juniors and seniors to gain college credit as part of their high school graduation requirements. In 2014 ACA was ranked in the top 50 Christian high schools in the United States.

Notable Alumni

Caleb Mills Caleb Mills (July 29, 1806 – October 17, 1879) was an American educator who served as the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana and was the first faculty member at Wabash College. He played a central role in designing the public educ ...

(2018), basketball player

References

1958 establishments in North Carolina Christian schools in North Carolina Educational institutions established in 1958 Schools in Buncombe County, North Carolina {{NorthCarolina-school-stub