Houston Academy

Houston Academy
Houston Academy's Main Office entrance
Location
901 Buena Vista Drive Dothan, Alabama United States
Coordinates	31°14′40″N 85°26′57″W / 31.24444°N 85.44917°WCoordinates: 31°14′40″N 85°26′57″W / 31.24444°N 85.44917°W
Information
Type	Independent
Established	1970
Headmaster	Dr. Scott D. Phillipps[1]
Color(s)	Royal Blue and Columbia Blue
Mascot	Raider
Website	www.houstonacademy.com

Houston Academy is a college preparatory school in Dothan, Alabama. HA offers day schooling for grades 3P through twelve. The nineteen-acre campus is located in one of Dothan's upper middle class residential areas.

History

The school was founded in 1970 in response to integration of the public schools in Dothan, as a way to maintain segregated schooling under the guise of private education. This history received national attention in 2016, when Bill Clinton revealed in a campaign speech that his wife Hillary Clinton had made an undercover visit to the area investigating segregation academies in 1972.^[2][3][4] While the school no longer enforces a ban on non-white students, as of 2015 only eight black students were enrolled and only 13% of the student population were minorities of any kind.^[5]

Campus

The campus, which was renovated in 1995, features four buildings connected by covered walkways. Included in the facilities are forty-five classrooms; two daycare rooms; library; Lower School science lab; Upper School labs for chemistry, biology, physical science, and Middle School science; state of the art Lower and Upper School art rooms; Lower and Upper School computer labs; two gymnasiums; a classroom for music and band; and a cafetorium. In 2002, the Dove Center was completed. It houses the Upper School English department, a computer lab, a computer classroom, art room, yearbook room, and the library. The school also maintains two playgrounds with one having a gazebo and the other newly renovated in 2005 with a covered area, a practice football field, and a practice baseball field. In 2013, the Student Activity Center was completed to provide a comprehensive weightlifting, fitness, and conditioning facility for students, faculty, and alumni.

School

The Houston Academy (H.A.) Upper School (grades 7-12) offers a college preparatory curriculum. In Upper School, elective classes in art, music, journalism, drama/speech, television broadcast, and a fourth year of a foreign language provide an opportunity for our students to thrive academically, creatively and socially. Houston Academy offers four foreign languages (Latin, Spanish, French, and German). H.A. offers 16 Advanced Placement (A.P.) classes where students can earn college credit. H.A. offers A.P. classes in AB Calculus, BC Calculus, Chemistry, Computer Science, English Language, English Literature, European History, French, Latin, Music Theory, Spanish, Studio Art: 2D Design, AP Studio Art: Drawing, Studio Art: 3D Design, and United States History.

Accreditation

The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; and the holds memberships in the National Association of Independent Schools, National Association of Secondary School Principals, Southern Association of Independent Schools, the College Board, National Honor Society, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Southern Association of College Admissions Counselors, Alabama Independent School Association, and the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

References

1. "Administration". Houston Academy. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
2. Chozik, Amy (27 December 2015). "How Hillary Clinton Went Undercover to Examine Race In Education". New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
3. Clinton, Hillary (2003). Living History. ISBN 9780743260862.
4. Cook, Jim (27 July 2016). "Houston Academy has changed since Hillary Clinton's 1972 visit". Retrieved 22 November 2016.
5. Brantley, Max. "Hillary Clinton undercover in the segregationist South in 1972". arktimes.com. The Arkansas Times. Retrieved 22 November 2016.