Thomas Sumter Academy

Posted: July 20, 2026

Based on my experience, I would not recommend this school unless there is a change in leadership. The Head of School appears to operate with very little meaningful oversight from the board, and many staff members seem reluctant and fearful to challenge his decisions. This concentration of authority creates an unhealthy environment, particularly for students who appear to fall out of favor. In my opinion, leadership should foster consistency, fairness, accountability, and transparency for all students.

There are several other private schools in the area, and the families I know who have transferred to those schools have shared positive experiences and expressed satisfaction with their decision.

Posted: July 20, 2026

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Posted: November 20, 2022

Absolutely awful. Went here a few years back and it felt like they failed me on purpose because I would not through money at the school and did not fit the mold.
Some teachers were very rude and awful. They obviously should not be teaching.
Overpriced for them to just fail you on purpose. I went back and looked at some of my "failed" tests just to see half the answers they marked wrong were actually right.
Would absolutely not recommend the school.

Posted: November 20, 2022

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Posted: October 7, 2022

The review before mine says it best - if your child doesn’t fit into their mold, do not go here.

My review is directed toward the preschool. I have nothing to say about any other grades, and never will because I would never send my son back to this school, nor recommend anyone to send their child here.

My son was involuntarily removed from the after school program after 1 month of school because he would not nap. He’s 3. He hasn’t napped consistently since he was 2. Side note: I even told the admissions director that my son doesn’t nap when I came to tour the school.

The teachers were very contradicting. They gave my son an iPad one day and said he did great, but then said he’s not allowed to have an iPad in his classroom. They say things like “we would never compare children, they’re all different”, “we can deal with kids that don’t nap, that’s our job” and “we will do everything we can to help your child succeed.” BUT the reasoning they gave to remove him from after school care? “Your son is the only child who won’t nap, but he’s tired. So, it would be a disservice to your child to keep him here when he’s tired.” What do families do when both parents are working and their child won’t nap? Not send them here, that’s for sure.

As we were leaving on his (very sudden and unexpected) last day, he happily said “bye friends! see you later!” and it truly broke my heart. I now have to explain to my 3 year old son that he will never be going back to school to see his friends.

This school is a bargain compared to most other private schools, so I guess you get what you pay for. My advice is to look elsewhere for schooling.

Posted: October 7, 2022

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Posted: September 24, 2021

Love the intimate Christian environment my child is experiencing. I find the school covert challenging academically and in extra-curricular activities. There is a true sense of family and the school seems much more diverse than the numbers on this site indicate. The low teacher/student ratio is a huge advantage for my child. The facility is top notch and truly cares for my child.

Posted: September 24, 2021

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Posted: March 1, 2019

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Posted: March 1, 2019

Love the small class size and individual attention the kids get. This school is the best possible fit for our preschooler. We are a military family and are sad to PCS and leave Thomas Sumter in 2 years. It’s been the highlight of our time here in Sumter.

Posted: January 24, 2018

I have enjoyed the past two years with this institution as a parent. We are very happy with the overall experience our daughter has had with TSA. Our interactions with all school officials has been positive and they truly seek out creative ways to teach. The creation of the school wide STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) lab has been phenomenal. I can't wait to see where the future lies with TSA for our child.
The foundation of a Christian environment is a fit we were looking for our family. We wanted to make certain that the level of education would exceed the alternative schools to select from in our area.

Posted: January 24, 2018

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Posted: December 2, 2017

Integrated into the curriculum is strong leadership and character development.

Posted: December 2, 2017

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Posted: December 2, 2017

Posted: December 2, 2017

Thomas Sumter is all about family. The teachers and administration truly go above and beyond.

Posted: December 2, 2017

Posted: December 2, 2017

The teachers at TSA combine caring and professionalism in a manner that is very effective.

Posted: November 20, 2017

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Posted: November 20, 2017

Thomas Sumter is a wonderful school. My child will be fully prepared for college!

Posted: October 15, 2017

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Posted: October 15, 2017

This is what I love most about this school.

Posted: October 15, 2017

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Posted: October 15, 2017

I wouldn’t send my children anywhere else nor would they want to go anywhere else. I have two boys that have been at TSA since preschool/kindergarten and they are now a Sophomore and a Senior. This school builds great character,a loving Christian atmosphere, many extra curricular activities such as sports, and an overall wonderful learning experience with small classroom sizes. When your child becomes a General, you as well will become a General. TSA is a family. We love our family.

Posted: December 14, 2016

Posted: December 14, 2016

Posted: December 14, 2016

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Posted: December 14, 2016

Posted: December 14, 2016

TSA is an incredible school. I have one daughter that has graduated and one in upper and lower school. I could not be more pleased with the family atmosphere and inclusive nature of the school. - a parent.

Posted: July 3, 2014

Thomas Sumter is one of the worst private schools. The school concentrates more on fundraising than teaching the students. There is no customer satisfaction, all they care is they take your money. Good luck if your not satisfied with the school, you will not get any of your funds back if you pay up front. Recommend you pay monthly, so you can back out if you want to transfer your child.

Posted: June 22, 2014

Awesome place. There is no other school like TSA. I am so blessed to call "The Hill" our home away from home.

Posted: April 7, 2014

Our kids absolutely love TSA. It has a great family atmosphere! I would highly recommend.

Posted: April 1, 2014

We moved to Sumter and found our child would not be able to attend Kindergarten; due to the disctrict cut off date. TSA appeared to be our best choice as they (appeared) to be willing to work with us. HOWEVER, mid-year I was advised that my child would not be moving onto the next grade. There was NO feedback from the teacher or lower school lead. They couldn't even tell us what THEIR expectations were to have my child move onto the next grade! They stood behind their "policies" however there were no clear "policies" provided. All the while my child would cry while doing homework and begged me not to take him back! I finally pulled him from the school and he's doing amazingly well! And will look at graduating Kinder; which TSA completely rejected! The Headmaster was no help...my next stop is the Board of Trustees. If you must pick a private school in sumter; let it NOT be TSA!

Posted: October 10, 2013

Seemed like there was favoratism and if you werent part of the club your child was neglected. Lack of organization, tuition fees were very high and there were always other fees, if you werent broke before you put your child in here you will be. Bad use of funds by incompetent staff and at best average academics. Unless you are part of the club.

Posted: January 10, 2013

We moved to the area like many other military familities and had to deal with the public schools (very poor by the way) or invest in our childrens education in a private school. We put our child in the 5's and immediately they wanted to move him to the 4's. Concerns over his "maturity", though his academics were well in line with the rest of the class. We reluctantly agreed, but trusted there judgement. It did not go smooth. My childs behavior worsened and academics sharply dropped. By school year end our child had gone from academically prepared to go to Kindergarten to "academically not ready". There final assessment at the end of the year, he was required to be tested and possibly medicated, their recommendation. To say the least it was disturbing and upsetting. We decided that what we heard wasn't appropriate. We moved our child to another private school. In 30 days my child was no longer showing the so called "maturity" issues and his academics grew overnight. Unfortunately the "Thomas Sumter Experiment" set our child back a full year or more academically. He is excelling, I regret the decision to ever put my child in that school. I DO NOT RECOMMEND!

Posted: January 15, 2011

I recently graduated from this school and could not be more pleased with the education that I received while I was a student there. I was a student during the "rough patch" but I was also a student there as we made our way through. Over the years we have been through some tough times, but we got always made it through because of our love for each other and God. The current headmaster is doing an EXCELLENT job of keeping the school focused on the most important things. When someone says there is a family atmosphere, they are not lying. I miss my Thomas Sumter family and cannot wait for the chance to visit soon.

Posted: June 12, 2007

Reviewed: August 7, 2014

Thomas Sumter Academy (TSA) is one of your private school options if you are stationed at Shaw AFB. We chose to send our Sophomore son here because the options in the public high schools were not favorable (in our opinion) unless you're willing to move to the Columbia area. So far, we've been very pleased with both the academics and the athletics. This is a Christian based school and they stick to their Christian principles without being overbearing or too strict. The academics are challenging compared to what we see with our middle school kids, who are by the way in the best public middle school in the county. My rating realistically would be a score of 4.5 because there are some things we don't like, but it's not enough to warrant downgrading to 4.0. Check it out--you won't be blown away by the facilities like one of the other private schools in the county, but Thomas Sumter Academy has solid academics and caring teachers, coaches, and administrative staff that make you feel like family. Oh, and our Sophomore son is very happy at TSA!