Our History

ESTABLISHED IN 1991

Shell Close School, later renamed American Christian Academy (ACA) began with 9 elementary students from 6 countries on May 9, 1991 at #6 Shell Close, Onireke, Ibadan.

A large bedroom (now ACA’s conference room) in the founder’s home, was converted to a one room schoolhouse, forming the foundation of ACA’s culture as a “family school.” International teachers helped to establish the school’s global roots and within a year, the school had doubled in size, providing quality international education for the growing community of learners.

In 1993 two one-room British Pre Schools folded into Shell Close and by 1996, the school was renamed ACA and expanded to include the neighboring compound.

By 1999, ACA had over 100 students from 25 countries. Divine intervention provided space needed for increased enrolment, when another adjacent property became available and in addition to purchasing the two buildings (now the High School block and “international house” for residential staff) an auditorium was built on the new site in 2005.

In 2006, ACA celebrated her 15th anniversary and the academic program expanded to include A Levels and became a test center for the University of Cambridge. Class sizes increased and a three story new school building, now called the Main School Block, was built to accommodate the ever expanding number of students.

The first official ACA Advisory Board Meeting was held in 2007 as well as the first out-of-town Staff Retreat held at Ada Golf Resort. ACA became a test center for the U.S. College Board that same year. Recreational facilities including a tennis and basketball court was added on site in 2008.

Facilities continued to expand with the building of three well-equipped Science Labs. ACA partnered with an Online U.S. accredited school in 2010 to offer a one-of-a kind online learning experience for senior students, affording them the opportunity of selecting classes from a wide range of electives as well as earning credit for U.S. university courses.

In 2013, ACA’s Advisory Board met to make some strategic decisions, delegating key responsibilities to Vice Principals, in both Academics and Administration. It was to be the board chair’s final meeting. Rev. Dr. Jerome Conrad Fluth, had led the Advisory Board for six years and helped create foundational philosophy statements such as the Staff Credo, Motto and Vision Statement. Following his commencement to glory, the JC Hall was named in his honor.

Dr. Kole Sodipo. became the next Advisory Board Chair. ACA’s academic achievements continued to soar, with exceptional results in the IGCSE exams. Students earned A*s and As, in all subjects, and in 2016, the SBG President earned the best result in Nigeria for Business Studies while in 2017, another student received the award for the best result in Nigeria for French.

Sports marathons, biannual science fairs, art and music festivals as well as dynamic stage productions continue to provide opportunities for students to develop God-given gifts and offer an enriched learning experience for the student community.

ACA facilities have continued to expand to include a kitchen, gym, putting green, reception, Music and Fine Arts building, glassed-in cafeteria and a child’s paradise indoor playground. While ACA extracurricular activities continue to thrive with specialty clubs such as golf and ballet, and an ever improving piano program, now hosts the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) piano and theory exams.

With the fear of the Lord as the foundation for the school, ACA’s future stands strong as our graduates spread all over the world, equipped with wisdom for a purposeful life.