Bryant Academy opened in the 1950-1951 school year as part of the Nassau County School Board's effort to provide more adequate schools for African Americans. The board issued revenue bonds, closed nine existing African American schools in Nassau County, and consolidated students into three schools in Callahan, Fernandina, and Yulee. The Yulee schools were combined into Bryant Academy, named for principal James B. Bryant (1911-2010). On a 17-acre site, a new elementary school was built in 1950 with 6 classrooms, a cafeteria/assembly room, an administrative suite, and a general facility space. Bryant Academy operated from 1950 to 1969, when desegregation led the new Nassau County Public School District to integrate black and white schools and remove the original names of formerly segregated African American schools; Bryant Academy became Yulee Elementary School, and the original buildings were later replaced. Under James B. Bryant, the school embodied his passion for education and shaping the formative years of hundreds of young minds. With support from parents, teachers, and alumni, he helped provide resources including the county's only reading improvement machine, and he involved boys from the school in pouring concrete for the outdoor basketball court. The school also became a community center where families and friends gathered to cheer on the B.A. Dragons and Dragonettes and to attend operettas, the Miss and Little Miss B.A. pageants, and commencement and graduation ceremonies. Remembered for his gigantic personality and spirit, infectious smile, and kind and compassionate heart, James B. Bryant touched many lives as an educator, leader, and friend.