Academy of Richmond County

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Location
Academy of Richmond County
910 Russel Street Augusta, Georgia, 30904
Information
School district	Richmond County School District
Principal	David Robbins
Enrollment	1500
Student:teacher ratio	1:17^[1]
Gender	coeducational
Type	Public high school
Grades	9-12
Campus	urban
Established	1783
Information	(706) 826-1000
Colors Mascot	Purple and Gold Musketeer
Homepage	http://arc.rcboe.org/home.aspx

The Academy of Richmond County (ARC), also known as Richmond Academy, is a public high school and a National Historic Landmark located in Augusta, Georgia. Originally known as Richmond County Military Academy, and commonly known as Richmond Academy, it was chartered in 1783. This makes it the second oldest existing public high school in the United States, and by far the oldest existing public high school in the South. President George Washington attended graduation ceremonies at ARC in 1791.

1 History
2 Academics
3 Awards and recognition
4 Notable alumni
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Initially an all-male, privately funded school, it became a military school after the American Civil War. Richmond Academy ultimately transitioned into a co-educational, traditional high school during the last half of the 20th century. The school retains a large Army JROTC contingent.

In 1926, The Academy of Richmond County moved to its present-day building of Walton Way. The principal of that time, Major George Butler, described the school in 1927 as "Second to none in the South in terms of facility." The 1926 building of the school has a Gothic-style architecture. Up until the 1950s, ARC was for white males only. In 1959, the school lost its status as a integrated school and became a coeducational institute.

The school mascot is a musketeer, and the school colors are purple and gold.

[edit] Academics

The Academy of Richmond County has a nationally known International Baccalaureate and IB Programme taught within the school for grades 9 through 12. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a rigorous college preparatory course of study for highly motivated high school students. The program features a comprehensive curriculum that contains both breadth and depth in its focus. The IB program of studies provides students of various linguistic, cultural and educational backgrounds with the intellectual, social, critical thinking skills, and perspective necessary for the adult world. The IB Program was added to the school in July 2003.^[2]

[edit] Awards and recognition

The Academy of Richmond County's Mathematics Team won the 2005 National Society of Black Engineers Try-Math-A-Thon, which was held in Boston.^[3]
The school's JROTC contingent is continually ranked among the best in the country.
The Academy of Richmond County's International Baccaluareate and IB Programme is ranked among the best in the country.