Whitefield Academy 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 recorde ...

Christian school A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures. In some countr ...

in the Highview area of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

that was founded in 1976 as Highview Baptist Christian School, and originally taught students grades K-8. In 1983 a high school was added and the name changed to simply Highview Baptist School. In 2003, Highview Baptist School changed the school's name to Whitefield Academy, named after the English evangelist

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at th ...

. Today students range from grades pre-school to 12th, and the total enrollment from pre-school to high school is approximately 800 students. The school is a member of the

Association of Christian Schools International The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), founded in 1978, is an association of evangelical Christian schools. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. History ACSI was founded in 1978 through the merger of three as ...

(ACSI) and the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

. In January 2020, the school gained national attention when it allegedly expelled a 15-year-old student because of a picture posted on social media, in which student was wearing a rainbow sweater and posing with a rainbow-colored birthday cake. The school claimed the picture is the latest in two years’ worth of “lifestyle violations” by the student and also said the picture “demonstrates a posture of morality and cultural acceptance contrary to that of Whitefield Academy’s beliefs.” The

rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. The LGBT flag introduced in 1978 is the most recognized u ...

often is used as a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer pride and support for LGBTQ rights. Whitefield Academy defended its position to expel students who may go against its religious beliefs because of exemptions for faith-based schools in Louisville's Fairness Ordinance.

References

External links

Official website
Baptist schools in the United States Baptist Christianity in Kentucky Christian schools in Louisville, Kentucky Private high schools in Kentucky Private middle schools in Kentucky Private elementary schools in Kentucky Educational institutions established in 1976 1976 establishments in Kentucky High schools in Louisville, Kentucky {{Louisville-struct-stub