Tradition

In 1967 Tuscaloosa Academy was organized by a group of local residents who wanted to form a college preparatory school. There were thirteen original members of the Board of Trustees. They hired a Headmaster, Mr. George H. Bell, and a small faculty. TA did not yet have a building, so they rented space at the old Northington Army Hospital. This building no longer exists, but was located near University Mall.

The school opened in September of 1967 as a coeducational, independent day school with 113 students in grades one through seven. In January of 1969 a Capital Fund Drive was begun to raise money to build a permanent facility for the school. Also in 1969 the twenty-seven acre site on which Tuscaloosa Academy is now located was donated to the school.

By 1972, TA served students in grades one through twelve. In December of 1972, the Tuscaloosa Academy Upper School, grades 7 through 12, received accreditation in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In February of 1972, the school was moved into the building on Rice Valley Road. In June of 1973, the first Graduation exercises were held in the gymnasium. There were twenty-four graduates in that class, and all of them were accepted into the colleges of their choice. A preschool program was incorporated into TA in 1978.

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