Collegedale Academy Mission Statement
We are a Seventh-day Adventist school established to educate, equip, and inspire students
to be critical thinkers who serve others and reflect Christ’s character.
Our History
Collegedale Academy was founded as the Graysville School in 1892. Later the name was changed to Southern Training School and in 1916 it was moved to its present location at Collegedale, Tennessee, where it reopened as Southern Junior College. Grades nine through twelve were organized as an integral part of the Junior College program during those early years. In 1936 the secondary school was given separate status and was renamed Collegedale Academy. CA was first accredited with the State of Tennessee in 1936 and in 1938 was granted accreditation with SACS. The first four-year seniors from CA graduated in 1946.
In 1958, Arthur W. Spalding Elementary, also know as A.W. Spalding Elementary or AWS, was opened as a constituency based school.
The Greater Collegedale School System (GCSS) was organized in 1968 under the leadership of the first chairman of the GCSS board, Pastor Fred Fuller. This single board oversaw the school operations at AWS and CA and later Collegedale Adventist Middle School (CAMS). Two separate and distinct educational programs were brought together at that time to form the GCSS.
Since organizing as GCSS in 1968, change has continued to occur. Additional facilities were added to AWS in the late 1970's and to CA with the Science and Technology Building in 2005. In May 2009 construction began on Collegedale Adventist Middle School (CAMS) and was completed in July 2010. The doors opened for classes at CAMS on time at the start of the 2010-2011 school year. At the Elementary, an Early Childhood Education Center began during the 2011-2012 school year. The Collegedale SDA Church was the only constituent church for the school system in 1968. The McDonald Road and Spanish-American SDA churches joined over the next few years. The Collegedale Community Church, Hamilton Community Church and Hispanic Community Church were added as constituent churches in 2012. Respectively in, 2020 and 2021 the church congregations of Impact and Crosswalk were added as Collegedale Academy constituent churches. Currently, eight area churches comprise the constituent churches for CA.
In 2019, with a required consistency vote, all the Greater Collegedale School System entities consolidated to one name - Collegedale Academy. Each level remains in their buildings of many years, all are called Collegedale Academy.
Collegedale Academy has a rich history with the constant focused upon providing a strong Seventh-day Adventist Education to generations of children that pass through this valley.
Educate, Equip, Inspire, & Serve