| Hammond School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Columbia, South Carolina |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Day School |
| Established | 1966 |
| Headmaster | Chris Angel |
| Grades | Pre-K through grade 12 |
| Enrollment | 980 |
| Campus | Residential |
| Mascot | SkyHawks |
| Website | http://www.hammondschool.org/ |
Hammond Schoolis a college preparatory day school in Columbia, South Carolina, enrolling boys and girls in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. The largest independent school in Columbia, Hammond is located in a residential district in the southeastern section of Columbia, South Carolina. The city is the state's capital and the home of the University of South Carolina, and has a variety of cultural and educational resources that are enjoyed by students and faculty on field trips.
Hammond School was founded as James H. Hammond Academy in 1966 by a group of parents from rural lower Richland County interested in developing a college preparatory school with a rigorous curriculum that would help prepare their children for acceptance into the college or university of their choice. The school opened in September 1967 with an enrollment of 260 students. Since that time, it has more than tripled to its current enrollment of 980. In 1989, the Board of Trustees changed the school's name to Hammond School and voted to adopt "a global focus" to prepare students for the "larger" world they would enter as adults.
The global focus begins in the earliest grades and is developed continuously in all subject areas. Each year, the School selects a country to study and gears its programs toward the people and culture of that land. In addition, members of Grade 11 travel to Belize, Central America, for a ten-day visit each spring. The School's mission is to provide students with the finest college preparatory curriculum, while inculcating in them an understanding of other peoples and cultures.
The school is a nonprofit organization governed by a self-perpetuating Board of 28 Trustees including parents, alumni, and community leaders. Hammond School in Columbia, South Carolina is named after James H. Hammond, originally as a white-flight school.