The Northside Christian Academy Story

The Story

Northside Christian Academy was founded in 1961 by Northside Baptist Church, under the direction of Dr. W. Jack Hudson. The school began with 44 students in kindergarten through third grade. The school operated in the church buildings on Old Concord Road in north Charlotte. Both the church and the school grew steadily, and the ministry bought property in 1971 to build a new facility. Northside Baptist church purchased 116 acres in the original transaction. Over the years, additional property was purchased to complete the campus. In the meantime, the school kept adding grades until it had its first graduating class, the Class of 1973.

Godley Construction Company, directed by NBC member Fred Godley, built the new facility, and in the fall of 1973 the school moved to the current location. The educational wings that the school occupies were actually completed first, and a few months later the church auditorium was completed. By March of 1974 the entire ministry was located at the property. Dr. Hudson chose the 333 Jeremiah Boulevard address because of the Scripture verse that the Lord had impressed upon him through the construction process. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).

In the early days Headmaster Paul Montgomery did much to develop the program. Other key figures were Coach Marty Benton (who helped develop the athletic department) and Rev. Barry Shearer. Rev. Shearer served short term as a geometry teacher and headmaster, then returned to church staff but continued his involvement in Christian Education. He served as president of the North Carolina Christian School Association from 1991-2007. NCA was an active, accredited member of that association followed by its affiliation with ACSI and the accreditation process. These leaders were followed by capable men and women who have influenced many lives for Christ.

The current student body is over 550 students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Typically, students score well above national averages on the Stanford Achievement Test, and 98 percent or more of the graduating students go on to further programs of study. NCA graduates are currently serving in business, law, medicine, education, and Christian ministry, just to name a few areas. The school’s graduates have been accepted at over 100 colleges and have pursued programs of study both nationally and internationally. Last year’s graduating class scored above the national score in each of the three areas of the SAT and earned in excess of 1.7 million dollars in scholarship offers. NCA’s faculty members are known for their longevity and their desire to train young men and women to be godly leaders in their culture. The school has enjoyed a rich history of leading the way in Christian Education for 49 years, and is well-situated to continue to develop Kingdom leaders in the twenty-first century.