Camden Military Academy (CMA) is a private, all-male,

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boarding school located in

Camden, South Carolina Camden is the largest city and county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina. The population was 7,764 in the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Camden is the oldest inland city in South C ...

, United States. The State of South Carolina has recognized the institution as the official state military academy of South Carolina. Camden Military Academy accepts male students in grades 7 through 12, also offering a post-graduate year.

Academy overview

Admin and Chapel Camden Military Academy Camden South Carolina

Camden Military Academy has an enrollment of approximately 307 students. All students are part of the Corps of Cadets, participate in

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools acr ...

, and live on campus. 23% of cadets are students of color and 7% are also international students. The teacher-student ratio is 1:7. Classes taught at Camden are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Dual-credit college courses accredited to

University of South Carolina Lancaster The University of South Carolina Lancaster (USCL or USC Lancaster) is a public college in Lancaster, South Carolina. It is one of the four regional Palmetto Colleges in the University of South Carolina System. It is accredited by the Southern A ...

are also offered to juniors and seniors. Many varsity athletics are offered to cadets, such as football, cross country, basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, wrestling, and track. The academy's mascot is the Camden Spartan. Other extracurricular activities that are popular are

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, Civil Air Patrol, and the Blackjacks drill team. Certain cadets are also selected to take part in Junior Leadership, a group of student leaders selected by teachers in each Kershaw County high school.

History

Camden Military Academy traces back its tradition from three institutions: Carlisle Military School (1892–1977), Camden Academy (1950–1957), and the present-day Camden Military Academy. The current campus was also formerly occupied by the Southern Aviation School (1940–1944). Carlisle Military School was founded in 1892 in the city of

Bamberg, South Carolina Bamberg is a city in and the county seat of Bamberg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,607 at the 2010 census. History Bamberg is named after early resident William Seaborn Bamberg. Members of the Bamberg family contin ...

as the Carlisle Fitting School of

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...

. In 1932, Colonel James F. Risher took over the school and continued to run it as an all-male military boarding school. In 1958, his son Colonel William Risher became Headmaster at Carlisle. The school operated until 1977, closing not too long after James F. Risher's death in 1973. Camden Military Academy BC and Color Guard, Graduation 2018

Camden Military Academy BC and Color Guard, Graduation 2018

The Southern Aviation School was founded in 1940 by Woodward Field (Camden airport) to train pilots during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The academy built many classrooms and barracks to house American and British pilots. Over 6,000 pilots graduated from the academy. After the academy closed in 1944, German prisoners of war were briefly kept in the barracks. The campus and airfield were then left nearly abandoned with many warplanes left behind until 1950. Some buildings built for the Southern Aviation School have been refurbished and are still in use today. Camden Academy was founded in 1950 by the citizens of Camden as an all-male military boarding school built on the former campus of the Southern Aviation School. The school lasted until 1957. In 1958, Colonel James F. Risher, the president of Carlisle Military School, purchased Camden Academy in 1958, and the name was changed to Camden Military Academy. His son Lanning P. Risher was the school's first headmaster and served in the position for 36 years, while his other son William Risher was put in charge of Carlisle. In 1974, Lanning Risher led Camden Military Academy through a reorganization as a

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tax-exempt Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

institution.

References

{{authority control Schools in Kershaw County, South Carolina Boarding schools in South Carolina Educational institutions established in 1950 Educational institutions established in 1958 Military high schools in the United States Private high schools in South Carolina Private middle schools in South Carolina 1950 establishments in South Carolina 1958 establishments in South Carolina Camden, South Carolina