Marvell Academy is a private K-12 school in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, near Marvell, which was founded as a

segregation academy Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend desegregated public schools. They were founded between 1954, when the U.S. ...

History

Marvell public schools were integrated in 1965. In 1966, Marvell Academy was the first of many private schools founded by white parents in Arkansas to avoid integration. Many of the parents here were members of a White Citizens Council, believing that "Integration is the corruption of the true American heritage by alien concept and ideology". The school opened with 73 students in two frame houses across a cotton field from the area public school. The school was founded with grades 1-8. Some grades had as few as 5 students. The school added a grade each year to provide education through high school. By 1969, although the school was unaccredited, it had 400 students; it had only eight teachers in 11 grades. Tuition was $400 per year, and students had to supply their own textbooks. The headmaster was Charles Hinton. A 1969 ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'' editorial article, describing the emergence of segregation academies, noted that "Few of them are quite so openly redneck as the Marvell Academy." In the 2015-2016 school year, the school enrolled two Hispanic students and no Black students. As of 2019, the student body of Marvell Academy has 1% students of color. The school is accredited by the

Midsouth Association of Independent Schools The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) is a consortium of schools in Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is responsible for accreditation of its member private schools as well as governing athletic competition for its ...

(MAIS). This organization was created to legitimize segregation academies. It is not a nationally recognized accreditation agency. The Academy participates in academic competitions including spelling bee, reading fair, science fair, and art fair, as well as athletics including football, cheerleading, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, and golf through the MAIS.

References

External links

* {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1966 Private middle schools in Arkansas Private elementary schools in Arkansas Private high schools in Arkansas Schools in Phillips County, Arkansas Segregation academies in Arkansas 1966 establishments in Arkansas