CLEVELAND ACADEMY - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The CLEVELAND ACADEMY was created in 1821, when the trustees of the Village of Cleveland raised over $200 for the construction of a new and larger school. The new 2-story brick schoolhouse, completed in 1822, was located on the north side of St. Clair Ave. On 26 June 1822, the academy was opened under the direction of Rev. Wm. McLean as headmaster. Other instructors included John Cogswell, who followed McLean, and HARVEY RICE†, who served as instructor and principal until 1826. Curriculum at the academy consisted of reading, spelling, writing, geography, Greek, Latin, and mathematics. Students, or "scholars," ranging in age from 8 to 21, were charged a tuition of $4 by the trustees for each term of 12 weeks. The academy was operated as a private primary school until 1830, when competition from other private institutions in Cleveland prompted its sale by the trustees. Following the incorporation of Cleveland in 1836, the Board of Managers repurchased the academy property and rented space in the building to small classes and businesses. On 5 May 1847, Chas. Bradburn, school manager for Cleveland, recommended to the city council that the academy, now in disrepair, be demolished and the lot used for new schools. It was demolished in the winter of 1849, and in its place the city built a new $6,000 school, the W. St. Clair St. School.

Akers, William. Cleveland Schools in the Nineteenth Century (1901).

Freese, Andrew. Early History of the Cleveland Public Schools (1876).

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