Scranton Academy was a private co-educational school organized in 1903 by public subscription to augment Scranton Public School, which had opened in 1887, when Scranton was a small farming-ranching community only 13 years old. The school expanded rapidly, reaching an enrollment of 325 by 1910, and at its peak taught all 11 grade levels. Its first president, O.C. Britton, served from 1903 to 1908, followed by W.W. Griffin in 1909, S.P. Collins from 1910 to 1911, and J.E. Temple Peters from 1911 to 1915. Under Peters, courses were standardized, a science program was begun, and a modern laboratory and library were added. Later presidents were J.W. Hawkins in 1916 and L.E. Ratten in 1917. Among its early trustees were G.W. Bailey, F.G. Boyd, A.P. Brown, W.D. Clinton, W.T. Gattis, E.B. Lane, J.J. Ray, W.T. Rutherford, A.M. Sprawls, J.R. Sprawls, and John L. Woods. In addition to basic subjects, the school offered a teacher training program, and its physical plant included a large classroom building, a 500-seat auditorium, two dormitories, a scientific laboratory, and a library. During its lifetime, the academy contributed much to the town’s culture, and its graduates entered many different walks of life before the school closed with the advent of World War I in 1917.