Arendell Parrott Academy


Arendell Parrott Academy is a non-sectarian private school located in Kinston, North Carolina, for grades K-12. The school was founded as a segregation academy in response to the court ordered integration of public schools.

History

The school was founded by Marion A. Parrott, a former member of the North Carolina General Assembly and attorney. In 1964, Parrott and his wife came together with several other citizens to form Arendell Parrott Academy, named after their deceased son, Marion Arendell Parrott Jr. of land was donated for the school in 1965, and by 1971 the school consisted of kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Mewborne Hall and Whitaker Hall were the school's first elementary classroom buildings and they were completed in 1966. Since then, the school has grown to include eight instructional buildings, seven athletic facilities and one activity center. With these facilities the school is able to support over 700 students, approximately 65 full-time teachers and over 30 sports teams.
In a 2015 retrospective interview, a board member said that the school was not integrated since blacks "just didn't apply".
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.

Demographics

In 2010, 90% percent of students were white. In contrast, Lenoir County was only 52% white.
In 2016, the school enrollment was 88% white, while the area population was 57.9% non-white.