Brentwood Academy

Brentwood Academy was among a wave of private schools formed in response the court ordered desegregation of public schools.[2] Brentwood Academy's leaders claimed the school was established to provide a sound, Christian education in a safer environment, but the sociologist Jennifer Dyer has argued that the school's stated objectives were simply a "guise" for the school's actual objective of allowing white parents to avoid enrolling their children in racially integrated public schools.[3][4]

Applications to Brentwood Academy increased in 1980 after court rulings expanded desegregation busing in Nashville.[5] At the time, only four of Brentwood Academy's 360 students were black.[6]

In 2001, Brentwood Academy was a party in the United States Supreme Court case Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.[7] The Academy had sued the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association after the school was penalized for "undue influence" in recruiting football players, and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court. The court in this case held that a statewide association, incorporated to regulate interscholastic athletic competition among public and private schools, is regarded as engaging in state action when it enforces a rule against a member school.[8]

• Kent Austin, Canadian Football League (CFL) player and coach[9]
• Derek Barnett, NFL defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles[10]
• Kody Bliss, football player[11]
• Andrew Bumbalough, athlete[12]
• King Dunlap, former professional football player for the San Diego Chargers[13]
• David Harrison, basketball player[14]
• Ashlyne Huff, singer-songwriter and dancer[15]
• Dann Huff, musician[16]
• Darius Garland, basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA[17]
• Gordon Kennedy, musician[18]
• Dawson Knox, tight end for Ole Miss and the Buffalo Bills.[19]
• Mike MacIntyre, football coach[20]
• Jalen Ramsey, professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams[21]
• Hubie Smith, Tennessee High School Hall of Fame basketball coach[22]
• Jacob Stallings, MLB catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates[23]
• John Vaughn, football player[24]
• Scott Wells, retired professional football player[25]
• Holly Williams, recording artist[26]
• Brandan Wright, former NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies[27]

• Brentwood Academy homepage