About Us

Welcome to Chattanooga School for the Arts and Science

CSAS adheres to the guidelines from The Paideia Proposal written by Mortimer Adler, advocating the identical program that is available to all pupils. The curriculum is general and not specific as well as liberal and not vocational, and also an approach to humanistic education, not a technical one. Advanced placement classes aren’t provided, instead, Paideia-focused classes have their own advantages that are accessible to students of all ages. The school’s curriculum is built on three fundamental pillars of instruction which are didactic, Socratic seminars, and coaching. CSAS is among the just two schools for K-12 in America that was founded in the form of a Paideia School and maintain its fundamentals throughout its history.

A brief history of the school:

1917 – The land for the school building was purchased.

1922 – Wyatt Hall (the center section of the school we now call the Gallery) was completed. It was named after Professor Henry D. Wyatt, who started the public school system of Chattanooga.

1935 – The two wings of the school were added and named after Miss Trimble and Mrs. McDonald, who were teachers at Chattanooga High School. The wings were built by the W.P.A. (Works Project Administration), a program created by the government to give people jobs during the Great Depression.

1941 – The Chattanooga High School Memorial Football Stadium was completed. CSAS now uses the stadium for baseball and soccer.

1955 – The John B. Steele Gymnasium was completed.

The school has had four names since it was built:

1986 – Present: Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences

1983 – 1985: Erlanger School of Nursing and the Continuing Education Program

1963 – 1983: Riverside High School

1922 – 1963: Chattanooga High School