Arendell Parrott Academy
Location

1901 Dobbs Farm Road Kinston, North Carolina 28504 United States
Coordinates	35°18′46″N 77°36′11″W / 35.3128°N 77.6031°W / 35.3128; -77.6031
Information
Type	Private
Founded	1964 (60 years ago) (1964)
CEEB code	342067
NCES School ID	01011496^[1]
Teaching staff	63.3 (FTE)^[1]
Grades	K–12
Gender	Co-educational
Number of students	719 (2015–2016 school year^[1])
Campus	55 acres (220,000 m²)
Campus type	Rural
Color(s)	Red and royal blue
Athletics	NCISAA
Mascot	Patriots
Tuition	$12,000
Website	www.parrottacademy.org

Arendell Parrott Academy is a non-sectarian private school located in Kinston, North Carolina, for grades K–12.^[2] The school was the vision of Marion Parrot, a local attorney and state representative. After struggling for a few years to gain support, the untimely death of their son, Arendall, provided the inspiration to Parrott family to open the school. However, their efforts did not come to fruition for several years, when Federally forced desegregation of the public schools created an interest among White Parents to flee to private schools.^[3] While there were no Black students, some people linked to the school deny that it was founded as a segregation academy in response to the court ordered integration of public schools, while one founder stated that it was not a choice for Black students.^[3]

History

The school was founded by Lillian Parrott and her husband Marion A. Parrott, a former member of the North Carolina General Assembly and attorney.^[4] In 1964, the Parrotts, along with several others opened Arendell Parrott Academy, named after the Parrotts deceased son, Marion Arendell Parrott Jr. According to Lillian, "The school was perceived as not being a viable choice for all of the students; it was not integrated."^[3] 55 acres (220,000 m²) of land was donated for the school in 1965, and by 1971 the school consisted of kindergarten through twelfth grade.

In 1992, the school became nationally accredited, which meant that colleges and universities considered Parrott's quality of education sufficient to consider accepting students from the academy.^[3]

In 2003, the school suffered minor damage from the West Pharmaceutical Services explosion. Many windows burst in and a student was injured by broken glass.^[5]

Demographics

In 2010, 90% percent of students were white. In contrast, Lenoir County was only 52% white.^[6] Students come from across a ten county area in Eastern North Carolina.^[7]

In 2016, the school enrollment was 88% white, while the area population was 57.9% non-white.^[8]

In 2018, the school was 95% White.^[2]

External links

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for ARENDELL PARROTT ACADEMY". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Arendell Parrott Academy - Kinston, North Carolina". Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d George, Dustin (August 30, 2015). "50 Years of Parrott Academy". The Free Press. Retrieved November 1, 2017. "'...The school was perceived as not being a viable choice for all of the students; it was not integrated," she said. Perry said the school was never meant to keep black students out. 'It was for people who could pay the tuition, and who felt a private school could offer a better education than the public school,' she said. 'It was never an expression of black children not coming. They just didn't apply.'
^ "Mission, Philosophy, History – About APA – Arendell Parrott Academy". www.parrottacademy.org. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
^ "Explosion at North Carolina factory kills at least three people, injuring dozens". Longview Daily News. January 30, 2003. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
^ "The State of Exclusion in Lenoir County, N.C." (PDF). UNC Inclusion Project.
^ "Admissions – Admissions – Arendell Parrott Academy". www.parrottacademy.org. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
^ Joyner, Ann Moss. "A Study of Diversity in Lenoir County, NC Schools" (PDF). pp. 17–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2019.