Chamberlain-Hunt Academy is a Christian, military, boarding school established by the Presbytery of Mississippi in Port Gibson in 1879. First, Chamberlain-Hunt is a Christian school. God has made us for his glory, and, therefore, everything that is taught in the classroom, achieved on the playing field, or modeled in relationships is done to the best of our ability to the honor and glory of God. Second, Chamberlain-Hunt is a military school, one of the few left in the U.S. that self-consciously maintains its distinctive Christian character and strict military discipline. Third, Chamberlain-Hunt is a boarding school. Our cadets get a reprieve from some of the distractions of the usual high school scene and are placed in an environment that supports their academic, physical, and spiritual development.

Chamberlain-Hunt Academy was established in 1879 and has been in continuous operation since that time.  The Academy is the successor of Oakland College, a Presbyterian institution founded in 1830, but forced to close after the War Between the States.

The Academy’s name honors Dr. Jeremiah Chamberlain, the founder and first president of Oakland College, and Mr. David Hunt, a very generous benefactor.  Housed at first in the Annex of Port Gibson’s Presbyterian Church, the Academy moved to its present campus in 1900.  The two original campus buildings, McComb Hall and Guthrie Hall, were designed by noted New York architect George Palliser.  A military department was included in 1894, and the Academy became a full military school in 1917.  It has been a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) since 1911 and is a charter member of the Mississippi Private School Assciation (MPSA), which organized in 1968.

Having begun as a school for boys, the Academy became coeducational in 1970.  In April 1998, CHA came under the control of the Board of French Camp Academy.  This change in governance reinvigorated the Academy’s Christian and military character.  Today, while CHA’s day program remains co-educational, its boarding program is open to boys only.