Trinity Christian Academy (Addison, Texas)
Trinity Christian Academy (TCA) is a conservative non-denominational Christian school in Addison, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The school was founded in the late 1960s during the racial desegregation of public schools as a segregation academy. History. In 1968, the school was planned, according to school history out of a desire for a combination of rigorous academics within a framework of traditional Christian values. The parents therefore rented a church facility to begin the school. The space opened to eighty students in 1970. However, the space became too small and in 1976 a new  school was built among sorghum fields in rural Addison. At the time this area was lacking in water and sewage lines, and only had a few homes. The area has become heavily urbanized, and today the school attracts over 1,500 students from 27 jurisdictions in the surrounding Dallas metropolitan area. The school reports that its alums identify with 14 different denominations and religious groups. Campus growth. In January 1976, grades 7-12 moved into the new Addison facility; the Lower School moved in the next fall. Tom Landry Stadium and the Field House were completed by that fall, as well . In 1980, TCA sold a portion of its property and used the proceeds to retire debt and pay for the MCB (multi-component building), which opened in 1982. In 1986, the Town of Addison provided nearly $3 million in capital improvements in order to use the TCA athletic facilities after hours for the next 20 years. In 1994, the administration building was completed and Middle School classrooms were renovated. In 1995, TCA acquired land to the north for a new Upper School. In 1997, TCA moved into the new Upper School building. In 2002, a new Lower School building  opened, double the size of the old. In 2007, TCA purchased a gymnastics center on Sojourn Road and transformed it into its Athletic Training Center. In 2010, the school opened a 35,000 square-foot Performing Arts Center with a 900-seat auditorium. Racial segregation. The school opened in the late 1960s as a segregation academy amidst the racial desegregation of public schools. In 1972, the school's enrollment surged. The headmaster, David Coterill, attributed the enrollment increase to "parents [who] are unsure and afraid of an unsettled situation". Coterill claimed that the school was not intended to be a "escape  hatch for segregation", but also acknowledged that interest in private schools like Trinity "was initially stirred up by the busing situation". In the 2020–21 school year, 58 of 1,442 students in grades 1–12 were black. James Barnett gay rights controversy. In 2004 and 2005 the school received national media attention when the administration controversially expelled a student for his sexual orientation. James Barnett was expelled for what school officials described as his "immoral behavior and [for] supporting an immoral cause". The officials were referring to Barnett's orientation and Barnett's involvement in the creation of the gay-themed website  my-boi.com, a social network for gay youth. Curriculum and policy. According to the school's mission statement, it aims to provide an education that is independent, academically rigorous, and strongly Christian oriented. In addition to traditional subjects, visual arts, drama, band, and choir are also available as fine arts courses. There are 132 faculty, and the financial budget is $28,000,000. The campus is over in size. The school maintains a diversity program and non-discrimination policy to include all kinds of students regardless of their origin, as long as one parent self-identifies as being a follower of Christ . The protected groups are national origin, race, color, ethnicity, culture, economic status, and physical ability. This policy does not, however, protect or encourage students of different religions or sexual orientations, which has led to controversy. School life. Of the 1,523 students, 553 are in the lower school or elementary school, while 481 are in middle school and 489 in the upper school, which is the high school equivalent. Eight percent of students receive financial aid totaling over $1 million annually. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Academics. TCA offers over 40 AP, Pre  AP, and Honors courses. Upper School students score more than 400 points above the Texas average on the SAT and more than 8 points above the Texas and national averages on the ACT. Athletics. There are 21 varsity level sports played and 54 athletic teams. Fall sports - cross country (varsity boys, varsity girls, Middle School boys and Middle School girls), football (varsity, JV, 8th, 7th), golf (varsity boys, varsity girls), tennis (varsity boys, varsity girls), volleyball (varsity girls, JV girls, JV-B girls, 8A girls, 8B girls, 7A girls, 7B girls) Winter sports - basketball (varsity boys, varsity girls, JV boys , JV girls, 9th boys, 8th-blue boys, 8th-white boys, 8th girls, 7th-blue boys, 7th-white boys, 7th girls), soccer (varsity boys, varsity girls, JV boys, JV girls, 8th boys, 8th girls, 7th boys, 7th girls), wrestling (varsity boys, JV boys, Middle School boys), swimming (varsity boys, varsity girls, Middle School boys, Middle School girls) Spring sports - baseball (varsity boys, JV boys, 8th boys, 7th boys), golf (varsity boys, varsity girls, Middle School boys, Middle School girls), softball (varsity girls, Middle School girls), tennis (varsity boys, varsity girls, JV boys, JV girls, Middle School boys, Middle School girls), track  and field (varsity boys, varsity girls, Middle School boys, Middle School girls) The school competes with other private and parochial schools in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) league, in the largest classification level, 6A, where it won state championships in 2006 for both varsity baseball and wrestling, and placed second in football. On November 10, 2007, the TCA girls' volleyball team returned to the TAPPS class 6A state title game and came away with a 3–1 victory. The football stadium is named after football coach Tom Landry, due to his involvement with the school. Mike Singletary  coached the football team for the 2018 and 2019 season. Following a 1-10 2018 season and a 0-11 2019 season, Singletary's resignation from the post was announced on May 21, 2020. Fine arts. TCA offers courses in the visual and performing arts beginning in Lower School, where students take art and music. In Middle School, students can choose between art, choir, band and drama, and in Upper School students have the opportunity to participate in choir, band and a selection of AP art courses. In 2012, TCA opened the Trinity Art Gallery (TAG) on the second floor  of the Upper School. The gallery shows student works from grades K-12, as well as hosts regionally and nationally known artists and their work.