The 2020 School + Camp Guide

Blair Academy at Vanderbilt 

Make music at Blair Academy this summer!  Visit the Blair Academy website and explore the possibilities. Blair offers private music lessons, ensembles, and classes for students of all ages. Kindermusik classes for infants to age 5 and their caregivers run for six weeks in June-July. Private music lessons are offered in orchestral instruments, piano, voice and many folk instruments. Summer ensembles include the Young Artists Orchestra (junior and senior high), Suzuki Strings Institute, and Nashville Summer Orchestral Institute (high school). Music Theory without Fear is a great introduction to theory and college prep class. Summer registration opens April 15.

St. Cecilia Academy 

St. Cecilia Academy is a four-year, college preparatory high school for young women seeking to grow in character, confidence, and creativity. Our intimate, faith-based, all-female environment ennobles young women, equips them to excel, and inspires them to lead lives of integrity both in and out of the classroom. Founded by the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in 1860, St. Cecilia Academy is the oldest continually operating high school in Nashville. SCA provides a rigorous liberal arts academic program in a Christ-centered environment. St. Cecilia is the patron saint of the arts, and SCA takes pride in its long tradition of excellence in the arts, reflected in its extensive offerings.

SCA offers the opportunity for young women to know their worth and potential. In the classroom or on the athletic fields, St. Cecilia girls have an abiding sense of purpose. They collect an impressive list of academic honors to prepare for their future education at the next level. The 74 members of the graduating class of 2019 are attending 47 universities and earned more than $17.8 million in scholarships. St. Cecilia Academy is the #1 Best Catholic High School in Tennessee by Niche.com, a comprehensive data website founded by Carnegie Mellon University. In 2019, The Nashville Business Journal also named St. Cecilia Academy as a top private high school in Nashville. Visit stcecilia.edu to see what it is like to be a St. Cecilia Girl!

Battleground Academy

Jurassic Adventures, Athletics, Pottery, ACT Prep, Yoga, and everything in-between; BGA Camps have it all!  With over 40 traditional and specialty camps for rising kindergarteners to rising 12th graders, there’s something for everyone!  Under the guidance of highly qualified counselors, the program encourages young people to explore and flourish this summer.  We offer half-day, full-day, and combo camps, which include lunch, to accommodate any schedule.  BGA Camps are open to anyone to come. For families needing additional care BGA Summer Camps offer early-care, after-care, and between-care for an additional fee. Join us for a vibrant and unforgettable summer experience! 

Franklin Road Academy 

Franklin Road Academy is a pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade coeducational independent school offering a challenging educational experience in an inclusive Christian community. FRA provides an excellent education within a collaborative learning environment, preparing students to attend the finest colleges and universities around the nation while also cultivating a concern for others in the community and beyond. With innovative academic spaces like a DNA Lab and Innovation Lab, students are honing team-building, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills in dynamic spaces as they become critical thinkers and leaders in pursuit of excellence.

The student body is made up of more than 12 countries, creating a diverse learning community where students learn how to work with others from all around the globe with many different talents. FRA is big enough to offer students opportunities to lead and are challenged to discov-er and pursue their passions and small enough to know our families and their stories. We foster a healthy student experience, with intentional class sizes that allow students to fully engage in the classroom while competing at a high athletic level or perfecting an art form. Key entry points for enrolling at FRA are pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 5, 7, and 9; however, students may enter at various grade levels. For more information, call our Admission Office at 615-832-8845. Franklin Road Academy is a diverse learning community, offering students pre-kindergarten through grade 12 from more than 12 different countries a challenging educational experience within an inclusive Christian community. FRA provides an excellent education within a collaborative learning environment, ensuring students become critical, innovative thinkers and leaders.

Harding Academy

Harding Academy is a coeducational, nonsectarian day school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. With a focus on rigorous academics taught by nurturing teachers, Harding Academy students thrive within a uniquely balanced and motivating environment. At the heart of the Harding Academy advantages is our fundamental commitment to the PreK-8 structure, which supports every student’s social, emotional, and academic needs in a developmentally appropriate manner. We seek to serve a diverse community of families searching for the optimal pathways to some of the nation’s most challenging public and independent high schools, and who share our mission to foster thoughtful, lifelong learners and responsible, caring citizens.

We encourage any interested family to schedule a tour and to connect with a Harding Academy representative. We also offer a few facts and figures that well represent the success of our school and our students: Our seventh graders regularly place in the top three percent of Tennessee high school students taking the ACT. The science curriculum features robotics, programming, physics, chemistry, organic gardening, and four science labs. Our athletics programs include 21 teams, and our no-cut philosophy allows participation, skill development, and leadership opportunities for all. Harding Academy produces two full-scale theater programs each year and has attained national status with its award-winning art program. Harding Academy strives to inspire the mind and nurture the spirit in all we do.  Our PreK-8 model provides the optimal environment in which to strike this balance.  We serve each and every student with a whole-child approach and through challenging and developmentally appropriate curriculum, character education, and extracurricular activities.

Harpeth Hall

The Harpeth Hall school is an independent, college preparatory school for girls and young women in grades 5-12 where each student realizes her highest intellectual ability in the sciences, the humanities and the arts, and discovers her creative and athletic talents. Harpeth Hall develops responsible citizens who have global perspectives and learn to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably. Our teachers encourage collaboration and instill excellence. They’re thoughtful and intrepid innovators in the classroom and labs and mentors on the stage and the playing field—creating coursework that brings out the very best in their students. Everything at Harpeth Hall is deliberately designed with girls in mind. Visit Harpeth Hall, where girls think critically, lead confidently, and live honorably. 

Mt. Juliet Christian Academy

Located fifteen minutes from Nashville, Tennessee, MJCA is a private Christian school that is a ministry of First Baptist Church Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. The church and school sit on 54 acres of land less than one mile from Interstate 40. Founded in 1979, MJCA is celebrating their 40th anniversary of providing a quality, Biblically based education to the community. MJCA has produced 30 graduating classes and is embracing the legacy of now admitting many children of former graduates! MJCA has approximately 600 students enrolled from PK-3 through 12th grade and is excited to announce the addition of 2-year-olds for the 2020-2021 school year.

MJCA’s mission is “to partner with families in developing students to think, live, and lead based upon a Biblical worldview.” The school approaches education with the goal of “enriching minds, engaging hearts, and equipping hands” with excellence for the glory of God! MJCA is a college preparatory school that extends a variety of opportunities in the many academic, fine arts and athletic programs provided. The academy offers an outstanding academic product with moderate tuition rates in an environment which includes competitive sports and fine arts programs, a student leadership academy and dual enrollment courses where students can earn college credit upon graduation. More than 95 percent of MJCA’s graduates attend college, many with academic and/or athletic scholarships. MJCA is fully accredited by ACSI and AdvancEd.

YMCA Camp Widjiwagan

YMCA Camp Widjiwagan offers Day Camps, Equestrian Camps, and Overnight Camps to the Nashville community.  We feature a multitude of traditional and unique camp activities including zip lining, banana boats, climbing, swimming, canoeing, archery, arts and crafts and more.  Add-ons include water sports, horseback trail rides and overnight campout.   Specialty and theme camps are offered weekly with themes like Star Wars, Harry Potter and more! Located on 320 beautiful acres next to Percy Priest Lake just outside Nashville, YMCA Camp Widjiwagan is owned and operated by the YMCA of Middle Tennessee.  Bussing is available from 10 different locations for our Day Camp Programming and Lunch and snack are provided each day at Day Camp. Overnight Camp runs Sunday through Saturday.   Our goal is to provide a safe, fun, magical and educational experience for all guests and children who come to the outdoor center. Each day, we work to demonstrate the Y’s core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility while practicing a “Kids and Guests First” philosophy.  Visit campwidji.org for a full listing of dates and offerings.

St. Paul Christian Academy

St.  Paul Christian Academy is a co-educational, interdenominational, independent, elementary school (four-years-old to 6th grade). At St. Paul, we walk with parents to establish a permanent foundation for our students so that they might flourish by pursuing academic excellence, a passion for Christ, and an ever-deepening understanding of their call to be leaders who uniquely shape the world in which they live. We form this foundation by creating a place filled with childlike wonder where your child is known, loved, nurtured, and challenged to be his or her best. We  hold high expectations for our students, and our nurturing environment helps them meet those expectations to reach their highest potential. As a result, our students are well prepared for acceptance into the most competitive college-preparatory schools in Nashville.

At the center of everything we do is our center pillar, passion for Christ; we desire all of our students to come to know and love God, understand his Word, and develop the wisdom, courage, and strength to walk in His ways. We  believe that God is calling our students to become Christian leaders in their homes, at their schools, in their future careers, and throughout their lives. We equip our students to understand Christian leadership, and we give them opportunities to practice leading; students lead chapel programs, help keep our campus clean, participate in service at every grade level, and mentor younger students in our buddy program. Additionally, in their capstone year, our sixth graders have new, daily opportunities to serve our school as they prepare to be leaders in their next schools and beyond.

South College Nashville campus

Established in 1882, South College is a regionally accredited institution committed to helping students realize their full potential. At our Nashville location, choose from 25+ degree and certificate programs in the areas of Health Science, Nursing, Dental, Ultrasound, Radiography, and more. Classes can be taken online, on campus, or both; with experienced faculty with valuable career and industry knowledge. Whether you’re advancing your current career or starting a new one, our programs are designed to help equip you with in-demand skills. Grants, government aid, veterans’ benefits, and scholarships, including the Tennessee Promise, Connect, and Hope Scholarships, are available for those who qualify, and our financial aid officers are on campus to help you develop a financial plan that best suits you.