Statements

Mission

The mission of Currey Ingram Academy is to provide an exemplary Junior K-12 day and boarding school program that empowers students with learning differences to achieve their fullest potential.

The school delivers on this mission by providing:
• Small classes
• Evidence-based instruction
• Individualized learning plans for every student
• Strong arts, athletics and extracurricular activities
• Speech-language and academic occupational therapies
• Character education and social coaching
• Personalized college preparation and counseling
• Parent, community and professional education opportunities

Background

From its beginning as Westminster School of Nashville in 1968, Currey Ingram Academy has been the answer for hundreds of children with learning differences. One of the first students was Britt Henderson, son of Bobby and Carol Henderson. After the Hendersons exhausted all other educational options for their bright, yet easily distracted son, they founded Westminster School in 1968 with the help of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Since then, the original class of eight students and one teacher has evolved into one of the nation's largest K-12 schools for children with learning differences. On July 1, 2002, Westminster School changed its name to Currey Ingram Academy and moved to its current, 83-acre campus in Brentwood, TN. The school opened a high school at that time, and the first graduating class was the Class of 2005. Today, the school educates approximately 400 students in grades K-12 and 100% of the school's graduates have been accepted into college programs. The campus now includes three academic buildings, an administrative building that includes dining and library/media spaces, an athletics facility, and a residential life residence hall. Since 2002, families have relocated from 35 states and nine countries, citing the school as a primary reason for their move.

Impact

Currey Ingram Academy Accomplishments:
1) For 55 years, Currey Ingram Academy has been effectively educating students with learning differences to help them achieve their fullest potential.
2) Since our first senior class graduated in 2005, 100% of our graduates have been accepted to college programs nationwide.
3) In April 2019, Currey Ingram raised $15 million for a boarding program (the first in the Nashville area), endowment for financial aid and endowment for faculty development.
4) On April 6, 2016, Currey Ingram Academy was presented with the Rozelle Founder's Award. This national annual award is given by the National Center for Learning Disabilities to outstanding K-12 public and independent schools that provide effective instruction and support to all students and are successful in addressing the educational and social-emotional needs of students with learning and attention issues.

Needs

Effectively educating students with learning differences is complex and challenging but Currey Ingram Academy has shown it is possible. From the inception of Westminster School of Nashville in 1968 and continuing with Currey Ingram Academy, we have always believed that it is possible for all students to learn and to achieve their fullest potential. Our work remains critical. Research tells us that approximately one in five students has a learning disability, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalcula, and ADHD. Students with these learning profiles often struggle in the typical educational settings. Our most pressing needs:
1) to increase the endowment to offer more scholarship awards and tuition assistance to more students ($3.3 million awarded to 44 % of the student body for the 2022-23 school year);
2) to continue to provide specialized, evidence-based teacher training (every teacher completes approximately 36 hours of professional development each summer and additional sessions during the school year); and
3) to meet the costs of general operating support and for deferred maintenance for campus facilities through the annual fund.

CEO Statement

Effectively educating students with learning differences is complex and challenging but for 53 years Currey Ingram has shown that it's possible. From the inception of Westminster School of Nashville and continuing with Currey Ingram Academy, we have always believed that it's possible for all students to learn and to achieve their fullest potential. We believe it's possible to create mission-driven programs ideally suited for college track students with learning differences. At Currey Ingram Academy, we understand students learn differently so we must educate differently. We emphasize an individualized, structured, multisensory approach to instructional practice by creating memorable, multimodal, multifaceted and diverse experiences for our students. Our diagnostic feedback processes and our small class sizes ensure students are consistently in an optimal learning environment. Our students experience the joy of academic success, often for the first time in their lives. We believe it's possible to achieve our transformational educational experience and our successful outcomes because of:

* Visionary leaders who believe in our mission
* Highly trained and dedicated teachers and support teams who use evidence-based instruction to develop the strengths of our students
* Committed families who believe in the value of a Currey Ingram education.

Finally, we believe it is possible to promote our students' strengths and to equip them with the tools and strategies to overcome their learning challenges. We are committed to the operational infrastructure it takes to deliver on our mission, maintain the staffing and programs it takes to educate our students as they so deserve, and to do so in a financially sustainable manner.

Board Chair Statement

I have been a part of the Currey Ingram Community since 2006 when my middle son became a student. In my 17 years at the school, I have had the privilege of serving as a parent volunteer, alumni parent, trustee, and now as Board of Trust President. I have witnessed and personally benefitted from the transformational education experience Currey Ingram Academy provides. Our School's dedication to its mission, the small student-teacher ratio, and our beautiful, spacious 83-acre campus make for the ideal setting for our Pre-K-12 students. Our Residential Life Program was launched in the Fall of 2021 and expands the Currey Ingram experience for our local, regional, and national students grades 9-12.

Throughout our 54 year history, our School's visionary leadership, dedicated faculty, and committed families have made it possible for our students to receive the exceptional education they deserve. Currey Ingram graduates are resilient, creative, and well-rounded individuals. They have developed skills to advocate, think critically for themselves, as well as collaborate with others. They are lifelong learners who are poised to be ethical, productive members of their community.

As the mother of 3 Currey Ingram graduates, I know first-hand that our School changes lives. I have had the privilege to have a front-row seat to witness the transformation that occurs in a student's life when he or she finds this school. As Board President, I remain passionate about the School's mission, and I am honored for the opportunity to serve our School and to be so involved in the growth and strategic planning for the future of Currey Ingram Academy.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Education  - Special Education
Secondary Category:	Education  - Elementary & Secondary Schools
Tertiary Category:	Education  - Scholarships & Student Financial Aid

Areas Served

Currey Ingram Academy students come from 36 Middle Tennessee ZIP codes and nine counties. Families from 38 states and nine countries have cited Currey Ingram as one of the main reasons for relocating to the area.

TN