Canton Academy
Segregation academy in Mississippi, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Canton Academy is a private school in Canton, Mississippi, which was established in 1970 to formally preserve racial segregation in schools.[2]: 72
Private
| Canton Academy | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
1 Nancy Drive , Madison County , 39046 United States | |
| Coordinates | 32.5998342°N 90.016471°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Segregation Academy Private |
| Motto | "With a bold vision for the future, Canton Academy exists to nurture hearts and challenge minds in a Christian environment." |
| Founded | 1970 |
| School district | MAIS 3AAA |
| Headmaster | Ryan Laster |
| Teaching staff | 28.8[1] |
| Grades | K–12 |
| Enrollment | 285 (2016[1]) |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Slogan | With a bold vision for the future Canton Academy exists to nurture hearts and challenge minds in a christian environment |
| Fight song | CA is forever Herman today, forward to battle eager for the praise, everyone is loyal none turn their back, cheers for the varsity of gold and black |
| Athletics | Fall Sports
Varsity Football Junior High Football Elementary Football Junior Varsity Cheer Varsity Cheer Elementary Cheer Sporting Clays Cross Country Boys Cross Country Girls Softball Winter Sports Varsity Boys Basketball Junior High Boys Basketball Elementary Boys Basketball Varsity Girls Basketball Junior High Girls Basketball Elementary Girls Basketball Spring Sports Varsity Boys Track Junior High Boys Track Varsity Girls Track Junior High Girls Track Varsity Baseball Junior High Baseball Swim Team Tennis Golf |
| Athletics conference | MAIS |
| Mascot | Panthers |
| Nickname | CA |
| Team name | Panthers |
| Accreditation | Midsouth Association of Independent Schools |
| Website | cantonacademy |
| Last updated: 9 January 2026 | |
History
Canton opened in January 1970 as a segregation academy. The school's founders, officially known as the Canton Academic Foundation, were so concerned about the impact of school desegregation that they accepted white students from families for which they knew could not afford tuition.[2] Canton Academy board president J. D. Weeks said that he "anticipat[ed] the public school system of Canton would be virtually all black".[3] In the school's first year, all but one white high school seniors withdrew from Canton Rogers High School and enrolled in Canton Academy.[2]: 73
Canton Academy was initially housed in an abandoned tent factory.[2]: 75 The curriculum was reported to be similar to public schools, but with an extra focus on the "evils of communism".[2]: 76
In the case Coffey v. State Educational Finance Commission (1969), the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi found that "No Negro pupils would be admitted to the private school."[4][5]
Sports
Canton competes in shooting sports against Jackson Preparatory School and Tri-County Academy.[6] The school sponsors a Twenty Guns in Twenty Days raffle to support athletics.[7]
Demographics
As of the 2019-2020 school year, the school had an enrollment of 277 in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, of whom 0 (0%) were Asian, 10 were Black (3.6%), 2 Hispanic (1%) , 233 were White (84%), and 3 (1%) were two or more races.[8]
Notable people
Glenn Boyce, chancellor of the University of Mississippi coached football at Canton Academy. In 2019, Boyce was criticized his past affiliation with segregation academies like Canton Academy.[9]
Alumni
- Reed Stringer (1979–), college football coach[10]
