Fifty years stronger.

Brentwood Academy was founded on the principle of the importance of relationships. Inspired by the unique environment focused on personal relationships they had experienced at Camp Hy-Lake in the 50s, Bill Brown and his friend Jimmy French dreamed of a school modeled on the same principles and dedicated to nurturing the mind, body and spirit of each student—to the glory of God. Their dream became reality in November 1969 with the first Board of Trustees meeting, and the Brentwood Academy story officially began.

Brentwood Academy’s first classes were held Sept. 8, 1970. As our 110 charter students gathered for Bible classes in an old school bus, practiced football in a cow pasture and gathered in the common area for chapel, lifelong relationships began to form between students, teachers and faculty — the Brentwood Academy family. During the 1970s, many of our longstanding and cherished traditions began. From open lockers to the Big Brother/Big Sister program, the senior trip to the Thanksgiving service, each piece of our unique culture was being assembled — including our commitment to excellence in athletics, with the 1974 football state championship.

The 1980s brought many additional firsts, including some significant foundational spiritual elements of Brentwood Academy’s culture. The first spiritual emphasis program was held, featuring Vietnam war veteran Clebe McClary and Atlanta Falcons player Greg Brezina. In 1985, the first student leadership team was established, and 1989 brought the first theme verse retreat, focused on Joshua 1:9. The school expanded with the new Duncan library in 1983, along with administrative offices, a softball field and several other rooms, and our Winterim program began in 1984.

In 1992, Brentwood Academy took the pivotal step of adding a sixth grade. This opened up new opportunities to even more families in the area and made the transition smoother from elementary schools. The 90s also brought an additional 16 classrooms, a new dining hall and lobby area, a greenhouse and alumni garden, and more, bringing more opportunities for growth to our student body. In 1998, students made the transition to block scheduling, which facilitates deeper learning and better prepares our students for college.

A major milestone in the life of Brentwood Academy came in 2000, when founding headmaster Bill Brown stepped down, passing the baton to Curt Masters. This significant yet bittersweet event marked the beginning of a new chapter in the life of Brentwood Academy, bringing with it a renewed sense of mission and accelerated growth. The new middle school was completed in 2001, which includes our unique student “dens,” allowing students to gather and form deep relationships early in their Brentwood Academy experience. In 2007, a new fine arts center was completed, and by 2009 the 20,000-square-foot athletic center (“The Rock”) was complete.

Brentwood Academy, now home to 760 students, added a unique opportunity in 2013 with its new robotics program, allowing students to explore a different side of academics and creativity — as well as competition. The BA robotics team has since won several awards, including five state championships and world recognition in 2015. BA’s commitment to excellence in athletics and academics has continued to shine with seven state championship titles earned in 2017 alone as well as the acquiring of a SynDaver, a state-of-the-art full-bodied surgical simulator, taking anatomy to a new level with hands-on experiential learning.