Downtown Academy

Downtown Academy is an initiative of Downtown Ministries which has been engagin inner-city youth and their families in the city of Athens for the past 10 years by developing a consistent and authentic presence in their lives and communities by offering programs and activities to promote personal, spiritual renewal, and community restoration.

According to the most recent data from the Census Bureau, Athens has the highest poverty rate in the nation for a city its size. The high school dropout rate in Athens is among the lowest in a state which already has one of the worst graduation rates in the county. Understanding the desperate need for a strong education in order to break the cycle of generational poverty, Downtown Academy will open with a kindergarten and first grade in August of this year, with intent to grow one grade each year through fifth grade.

The mission of Downtown Academy is to provide an excellent and rigorous Christ-centered education that builds knowledge, character, and purpose.