Sumner Academy became a reality in the fall of 1973. The old Fitts place at 1012 Nashville Pike was- leased as a temporary location. The preceding summer had been a very busy one as board members, parents and staff members volunteered many hours to convert the house into a school. A mid-July memo from the recently hired Headmaster, Todd Strecker, made it clear there was much to do before opening day. His long list of projects started with painting of all the rooms (including the ceilings!) and ended with a plea for volunteers to “trim the trees and clean the fence rows.”

1975 saw the Sumner Academy Hawks spread their wings on a brand new twenty-two acre campus featuring three buildings. The cost of the project was $500,000 and included a 18,645 main academic building, a 2700 square foot preschool building and a state of the art gymnasium measuring at 10,800 square feet. Founding Headmaster Todd Strecker oversaw the construction project and the move from the Old Fitts Place on Nashville Pike. A dramatic increase in students was the impetus to move to the new site.

In December of 1985, Sumner Academy became accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (now AdvancEd).  Led by headmaster Dr. Bill Hovenden, the school went through a lengthy process which involved all stakeholders in the school.  Sumner Academy became the first independent school in the area to be fully accredited by SACS.

1999: A new 17,000 square foot facility welcomed students during the 1999-2000 school year.  The new building included eight classrooms, the art and music departments, kitchen and a cafetorium with seating for 450.  The newest addition to the school’s campus arose from the 25th Anniversary Campaign which looked to raise over $2,000,000.

On April 7, 2006, an F-4 tornado ripped through the campus, destroying the gymnasium, countless trees and school equipment.  Luckily, no students, faculty or staff were harmed that day on our campus.  Countless volunteers assisted in the cleanup the following week and for four Saturdays that month.  Six months later, an open house and homecoming was held to celebrate the revitalized campus and to announce a new campaign to replace the gymnasium.  Not long after that, the Jim and Isa Carroll Field House was opened to the Sumner Academy community.