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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School

Established in 1903

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School began as two schools: Nacoochee Institute and Rabun Gap Industrial School.

Established in 1903 in White County, Georgia, the Institute's early leaders were Reverend Joel Wade, a Presbyterian missionary, and the Reverend John Knox Coit who became head of the school and helped to develop a liberal arts curriculum. The Institute was an education farm school.

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The Rabun Gap Story

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8:00 AM

Breakfast with Friends

Start your day with waffles, coffee, and catching up with your dorm crew in the Woodruff Dining Hall. There's always a delicious, hot breakfast available. Bonus: zero commute.

8:45 AM

Class Begins

Head to class just steps from your dorm. The teachers here know your name and your favorite subject. We intentionally start class at 8:45 AM to ensure students have enough time for rest before starting their day.

11:00 AM

Tutorial Time

Need extra help or want to dive deeper? This is your built-in time to connect one-on-one with teachers who’ve got your back.

12:30 PM

Shared Lunch & Club Meetings

Recharge with your friends in and maybe even try something new from around the world (our international fam brings some serious flavor). There's also time to get involved in your favorite club!

2:50 PM

Chapel & Advisory Time

Wednesdays mean Chapel — a time to reflect and come together. We also wear our formal uniforms on Wednesdays. Other days? Spend this time in tutorials, all-school meetings, and hanging with your advisory, a group you'll grow with all four years at Rabun Gap!

4:00 PM

Afternoon Activities

Time to shine — whether you’re hitting the soccer field, rehearsing in the theater, or building your dream project in STEAM.

6:30 PM

Dinner & Free Time

The best time to swap stories from the day, grab a second dessert, and plan what’s next. Enjoy the Student Center or on our outdoor sports court, complete with basketball, pickleball, and sand volleyball. Often, day students remain on campus to cheer on our athletic teams or attend arts performances with our boarding students. There's always something happening on campus!

8:00 PM

Study Hall

Dedicated focus time to knock out homework (or get some help from your dorm faculty). The Academic Resource Center is open during this time for students who want extra support. Study Hall is structured for freshmen, but upperclassmen manage their own study hall time with some faculty supervision to be fully prepared for independence in college.

Rabun Gap Over the Years

1905

In 1905, Andrew Jackson Ritchie and his wife, Addie Corn Ritchie, established the Rabun Gap Industrial School in Rabun County, Georgia, to help educate and give hope to the isolated people of the region. Students not only attended classes; they also worked the school farm, growing and preparing their food and maintaining the school's buildings, including dormitories.

Winter of 1926

In the winter of 1926, a fire destroyed the Industrial School main building and not long after, a fire struck the Nacoochee Institute in White County. Soon thereafter, the Boards of Trustees of the two schools voted to merge and build one larger and stronger school to be located on the Industrial School site and known as Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School.

Then and Now

Since that time, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School has prospered. In its early years, Dr. Ritchie's Farm Family program drew the attention and support of philanthropists such as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and George Woodruff, as well as the Presbyterian Church. The School's history includes a junior college and the original home of the internationally famous Foxfire Book series, which celebrates and preserves the culture of the Southern Appalachian region.

Continuing to Inspire

As Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School has evolved into one of America's premier independent boarding and day schools, its history and heritage continue to inspire young people today. Now well into its second century of service, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School continues to prosper thanks to the dedication and vision of its founders and the solid foundation they built more than 100 years ago.

Rabun Gap's Farm Family was a unique program that provided a traditional education for children and educated entire families in ways of better farming and household management. Many of its lessons are relevant and valuable today. We worked together and learned to help our fellow man; it left a legacy that we must be good stewards of the land; and, it taught us that life's dreams can be accomplished through education.

-Morris Robinson, '62

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