SCHOOL HISTORY
Ramah Jr. Academy (RJA) began in 1925 through the faith and vision of the membership of the Second Seventh-day Adventist Church under the leadership of Elder J.E. Cox. Classes were held inside the Cedar Ave. SDA Church on E.71st Street.
Eight students took part in the first and only 12th grade commencement of Ramah Jr. Academy on May 18,1939 at the Phyllis Wheatly Building on Cedar Avenue. Five students from the 8th grade also graduated at this time.
The senior class along with Elder J.E. Cox officially named the school “Ramah Academy”. Ramah was the name of a city the prophet Samuel founded, and one of several institutions known as the “School of the Prophets”.
In 1951, the church moved to 737 E. 105th Street and became known as the Glenville SDA Church. The school occupied classrooms in this building. Soon the school had outgrown these facilities and under the leadership of Elder R.T. Hudson, the church purchased land at 4770 Lee Road for a new school building. In 1957, at a cost of $168,000, the school building was completed during the pastorate of Elder Walter M. Starks, Sr. The expansion to the present facility was completed under the leadership of Elder H.L. Cleveland in 1970.
Ramah Jr. Academy, being the largest school in the Allegheny West Conference began an expansion program in 1990, which included adding a kindergarten class and grades 9, 10 and 11. Eleven students attended our first kindergarten class and a total of 20 students attended grades 9 and 10.
The present school is sponsored by six constituent Seventh-day Adventist churches and represents a tradition of more than 79 years of primary school instruction in the Greater Cleveland area. The school is located at 4770 Lee Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44128.
Our school is just one of the 4,380 schools, colleges and universities operated by the Seventh-day Adventist organization, which has the largest world-wide Protestant school system. An integral aspect of this educational system is the teachings of the fundamental beliefs of the Seventh –day Adventist Church. Ramah Jr. Academy’s name was changed to Ramah Christian Academy to better reflect our mission and purpose.
