Ensworth School

The Ensworth School

The Ensworth School is a private school located on two separate campuses in Nashville, Tennessee.

The original school, with grades "pre-first" (kindergarten) through eighth, opened in 1958 with 152 students. The school opened in a large Tudor-style home; its distinctive architecture became a symbol of the school itself. That facility, since expanded several times, is now known as the Red Gables Campus, and is located at 211 Ensworth Avenue.

In 2002 the school initiated a $60 million capital campaign, with the goal of expanding the school to grade 12. After operating for over 40 years as a K-8 school, Ensworth added a high school in 2004, located on Tennessee State Route 100 adjacent to Edwin Warner Park and known as the Devon Farm Campus.. The high school began with grade 9 and added a grade each following year; the school's first graduating class will matriculate in 2008.

In 2005, the newly constructed high school earned nationwide honors for architecture from American School and University Magazine and the Boston Society of Architects.

A 665-seat theater is under construction on the high school campus.

Location

EHS is located at 7401 Highway 100, Nashville, Tennessee.

The high school campus was built overlooking the confluence of the Harpeth and Little Harpeth Rivers, near Edwin Warner Park. During initial construction in 2003, a large prehistoric archaeological site was identified near what would be come the EHS athletic facilities. Archaeological excavations of that site resulted in the removal of numerous prehistoric burials and recovery of artifacts spanning a period of up to 9,000 years. Isolated mastodon bones have been found along gravel bars in the Harpeth River near the school, but are not associated with any archaeological deposits.

Beginning around 1798, the land containing EHS was situated within a large agricultural property owned and farmed by the families of brothers Giles and Thomas Harding. Between 1798 and 1807, Giles Harding and his sons constructed a home that would be known as Oak Hill and later Devon Farm. This home was included in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, due to the architectural integrity of the main house and the significance of the Harding family to the early settlement of the Nashville area. The historic cemetery associated with the Devon Farm was moved in 2003 during construction of EHS. The NRHP-listed home was renovated into the school's admissions office.

History

The Ensworth High School campus was built after a fund-raising campaign that raised nearly 60 million dollars. This also benefited the Lower and Middle Schools. The High School began classes in 2004, and its first senior class will graduate this year. To commemorate the Lower and Middle school's 50th anniversary, the students will build houses for Habitat For Humanity, a service organization.

Student body

The fourth and final "cornerstone class" began its freshman year in 2007, filling the campus for the first time.

Athletics

The EHS football team played its first full varsity season in 2007, and made it to the TSSAA State playoffs with a record of 8-2 (5-2).

The women's basketball team became Division II AA state champions in 2008 after defeating Knoxville Webb by a score of 50-48 in the state championship game at David Lipscomb University.

The EHS football team beat MBA, October 3, 2008 41-28.