In 1996, God called Dr. Ron Stewart, former pastor of Grace Baptist Church (1988-2016), to begin a new ministry through the establishment of a Christian school. After two years of preparation and research, the first group of fifty-five students and five staff members were present on the first day of classes on August 17, 1997.During the first few years of its existence, enrollment rapidly increased and as a result, the construction of a new 29-classroom building began in 2000. The same school year, GCA first accomplished accreditation for grades K-8 through the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). After moving into the new facility in 2002, GCA completed the accreditation process for high school grades 9-12 during the 2003-04 school year. By the year 2005, to accommodate the ever growing student population, GCA further expanded into a brand new high school facility.Grace Christian Academy is conveniently located on Oak Ridge Highway in the Karns community of west Knoxville, Tennessee.