Memphis Christian School opened in 1952 with 192 students in grades K through 6. Mary Nell Hardeman Powers served as the first principal. During that year, the school acquired the King Mansion, where the Harding University Graduate School of Religion (now the
Harding School of Theology) is located on Cherry Road at Park Avenue. The 1953–54 school year opened at the new site, and grades seven and eight were offered for the first time. Hardeman Powers wrote the school alma mater that year. For the 1955–56 school year, the ninth grade was added. Marion Hickingbottom became the new principal. The following year the school received approval for the first time from the Tennessee State Board of Education. During the spring of 1957,
Harding College in
Searcy, Arkansas, was asked to take over the school. Harding's board of directors voted unanimously to assume the oversight of the school. That decision included moving the Harding University Graduate School of Religion to Memphis, where it would reside in the King Mansion, and the construction of a new building south of the mansion to house the newly renamed Christian school as Harding Academy of Memphis.
1957–1997 In 1957–58, the construction of the new building began, and the tenth grade was added. Harding Academy opened the 1958–59 year in the new building. It included a classroom wing, a gymnasium, and a cafeteria. A.M. Anderson became principal. Grades eleven and twelve were added, and the first graduating class, of fifteen students, received diplomas. An elementary building was also under construction and completed in March 1960. J.E. Summitt served as superintendent for the 1960–61 school year. Harold Bowie arrived the following year and became superintendent. Over the next decade, the Cherry Road campus continued to expand. • An auditorium was built in 1967. • A gymnasium, a new library, a cafeteria, and a junior high wing were completed in 1973. • A new high school building was added in 1974. • A third gymnasium with women's locker room facilities, a choral room, and additional classrooms opened in 1978. Enrollment increased dramatically during the 1970s and peaked at 2,879 students in 1976. At that point, the academy was the largest private school in the
United States. Many local
Churches of Christ allowed the school to use their educational facilities in order to expand. By 1970–71, all elementary enrollment had moved from the Cherry Road campus into local church buildings. In 1978, the academy separated from
Harding College becoming an independent school under the direction of its own board of directors.
Recent history Harding's recent past include the opening of Early Childhood, a program for 2s and 3s, and the construction of the Cordova campus. Harding opened the new Cordova campus on Macon Road in November 1997. Early Childhood occupied one wing, and grades 1-6 were housed in the other. A second building opened at that location in the fall of 2001. The kindergarten classes joined Early Childhood in the first building constructed, and grades 1-6 occupied the newer building. In September 2017, Harding announced that the lower school would be unifying with middle and upper schools at the Cherry Road campus at the start of the 2018–2019 school year. A multi-year multi-phase renovation plan was announced. ==Extracurricular activities==