School Profile
Simpson County Academy
School Profile
Nick Lee, Headmaster
School Description
Simpson County Academy is an independent school that offers a Christian environment, college preparatory classes, a caring and professional staff, and successful athletic teams. The average enrollment is 600 students in grades K3 - 12.
Mission Statement
The mission of Simpson County Academy is to be a dynamic, independent educational institution dedicated to Christian values, academic excellence, and athletic achievement. We provide a secure learning environment, state of the art facilities, and a caring, professional staff. We instill in our students the values and skills necessary to successfully meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Accreditation
Simpson County Academy is accredited at the highest level (AA) by the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) and by SACS.
Curriculum Profile
Simpson County Academy’s mission is to prepare students for college and career. The curriculum is college preparatory and meets the recommendations of Institutes of Higher Learning. The school year is divided into four nine-week reporting periods. K3-3rd classrooms are self-contained. The students receive instruction in all subjects by their homeroom teacher. 4th-6th classes are departmentalized. 7th-12th students meet on a traditional seven-period day schedule, Monday - Friday.
Grading Scale
Elementary Grading System: 7-12 Grading System:
95-100: A 90-100: A
85-94: B 80-89: B
75-84: C 70-79 C
70-74: D 65-69 D
64 and below: F
Communication
Website: www.simpsonacademy.net Facebook: Simpson County Academy
Twitter: @SCACougars ParentAlert Text via FACTS
Instagram: @simpsoncountyacademy
Email:
Headmaster: Nick Lee nicklee@simpsonacademy.net
Elementary Principal: James Crain jcrain@simpsonacademy.net
Counselor: Gina Williams gwilliams@simpsonacademy.net
Business Manager: Karen Brown kbrown@simpsonacademy.net
Athletic Director: Todd Mangum tmangum@simpsonacademy.net
Academics
Traditional Graduation Requirements for classes of 2023, 2024, & 2025: A minimum of 22 credits required for graduation. Requirements for Class of 2026 and thereafter: 24 credits consisting of the same courses listed below along with 2 additional electives. Students will meet requirements to attend a Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning.
4 – English; 4 – Math; 4 – Science; 4 – Social Studies; 1 - Computer 8th grade; 1 – Computer 9th grade; 1 – Art; 2 – Foreign Language; 1 - Senior Capstone Project
Career and Technical Requirements: A minimum of 22 credits required for graduation.
4 – English; 4 – Math; 3 – Science; 4 – Social Studies; 1 - Computer 8th grade; 1 – Computer 9th grade;1 – Foreign Language; 1 - Senior Capstone Project; 4 - Career and Technical (2 years). *This track excludes the second year foreign language and art credit and does not meet course requirements to attend a MS public 4 year college or university directly out of high school. However, if a Career Tech student wishes to meet IHL requirements, then an alternate plan should be devised with the assistance of the school counselor.
Honors
Requirements to graduate with Honors from Simpson County Academy are as follows:
GPA of 90-94.99
English IV or Honors English IV or English Composition I and II
Advanced Senior Math (higher level may substitute)
Human A&P or Physics
Requirements to graduate with High Honors from Simpson County Academy are as follows:
GPA of 95 +
English IV or Honors English IV or English Composition I and II
Pre-Calculus/Trig or higher
Human A&P or Physics
Valedictorian, Salutatorian, & Historian
Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and Historian will be named from the graduating class and must meet the following criteria:
Students must have attended SCA for their entire junior year and senior year.
Students must meet course requirements for the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL).
The selection for Valedictorian, Salutatorian, & Historian will be based on the highest, second highest, and third highest grade point average from all academic courses with Carnegie unit credits.
Additionally, these students must take the following advanced level courses while at Simpson Academy:Dual Credit English Composition I & Dual Credit English Composition II or Honors English IV; Pre-Calculus; Calculus; Human A&P or Physics.
Mississippi Scholars Curriculum
Complete traditional graduation requirements from Simpson County Academy
80 hours of community or volunteer service during high school for seniors graduating in 2018-2021 (80 hours for seniors graduating in 2022 and later)
18 ACT Composite score
2.5 cumulative high school GPA on a 4.0 scale
95% school attendance during four years of high school (excused/unexcused)
Three letters of recommendation (one from each of the following: Headmaster, Guidance Counselor, and business/community leader for students with more than four in-school suspensions)
No out of school suspensions
Mississippi Scholars Tech Master Curriculum
Complete Career & Technical Graduation requirements from Simpson Academy
80 hours of community or volunteer service during high school for seniors graduating in 2018-2021 (80 hours for seniors graduating in 2022 and later)
Minimum of 18 ACT composite score (overall score) for seniors graduating in 2018-2021 (19 for seniors graduating in 2022 or later) or Minimum 36 ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test) or Silver Level WorkKeys
2.5 high school GPA
95% school attendance during high school years
No out-of school suspension
Must attain a passing score, as established by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), on the Mississippi Career Planning and Assessment System (CPAS2) or a passing score on an MDE approved industry certification assessment.
MAIS Honor Society
The purpose of the organization is to promote academic achievements, create an enthusiasm of scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of character. The minimum requirements are: scholarship and citizenship, overall GPA of 95, and no major discipline reports.
Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment
Online courses are offered for qualifying juniors and seniors through Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Currently, English Composition I & II and Art Appreciation or Music Appreciation are the only courses offered for dual high school and college credit. Other courses are available for dual enrollment such as Western Civilization I and II; General Psychology; Public Speaking; and Introduction to Sociology and College Algebra.
Testing and Student Progress Monitoring
Students in grades 3–7 participate in the Iowa Test of Basic Skills program; students in grades 8 & 9 take the Pre-ACT; and students in grades 10-12 participate in ACT College and Career Readiness Tests. Students in grades 10-11 have the option of taking the PSAT, and 11th grade students take the ASVAB test.
ACT’s College and Career Readiness System:
ITBS; Grades 3-7: Achievement testing that is an objective measure of student achievement and abilities with the option to track student achievement over time.
Pre-ACT; Grades 8 &9 : Vertically-articulated, benchmarked, standards-based system of assessments that can be used to highlight progress towards ACT College Readiness Standards and Benchmarks
ACT: Grades 10-12. Measures what students have learned; Increases college readiness when used with ACT Aspire and Pre-ACT; Documents readiness for college
PSAT: The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides first hand practice for the SAT®. It also gives students a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.
ASVAB: The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students.
Athletics
The Simpson Academy athletic program has consistently been one of the most successful in MAIS. It is our top priority to make sure that we maintain a positive Christian environment for our athletes. Athletics also teaches many life lessons including teamwork, work ethic, and time management skills.
Elementary Jr. High and High School
Pee Wee Football 4th-6th Archery
Pee Wee Basketball 5th-6th Baseball
Pee Wee Cheerleading 4th-6th Basketball
Cougarettes K4-3rd Cheerleading
Cougar Cagers 1st-4th Football
Archery 5th-6th Dance
Tennis 6th Softball
Tennis
Track and Cross Country
Volleyball