Laurence Manning Academy is a private school in Manning, South Carolina. It was founded as a White-only school shortly after the integration of public schools and remains almost completely White. [1] [2] [3]
In 1972, organizers chose the name Laurence Manning after revolutionary war hero Laurence Manning, the grandfather of John Laurence Manning, for whom the town was named. [4] Laurence Manning Academy was first accredited by SCISA in 1973, an organization that was setup to legitimize segregation academies. [5]
In 1979 two students at another private school in Manning burned LMA's main building to the ground. [6] [7]
As of 1990, the IRS had still not granted tax-exempt status to LMA because it was considered a segregated school. [8]
As of the 2019–2020 school year, 890 of 927 or 96% of students in Kindergarten through grade 12 were White while 23, or less than 2.5% were Black. [9] The public school district, Clarendon 02, had a student body population that was 47% Black and 46% White. [10]
Laurence Manning Academy tends to fit the general profile of a segregation academy, as it was founded during the era of integration, has an predominately white enrollment, and has a general non-denominational Christian affiliation
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