Risley Middle School

Brunswick’s first public school for African Americans opened in 1870 as the Freedmen’s School and was later renamed Risley School in honor of Lieutenant Douglas Gilbert Risley, who helped raise funds for its construction. From 1970 to 1975, it operated as a sixth grade center before becoming Risley Middle School. In 2008, Risley Early College Academy (RECA) was launched within the middle school to prepare students for college starting in sixth grade. The program’s success allowed it to stand alone on the Albany Street campus, but due to economic downturns and low enrollment, RECA ended in 2012. Using 2011 E-SPLOST funds, a new Risley Middle School was built on South Port Parkway to serve the growing southwest Glynn County community and opened in 2012–2013 with grades 6–8 after a district rezoning. The original Risley campus, listed on the National Register of Historic Places with a historical marker added in 2004, and the former Colored Memorial School and Risley High School remain landmarks of African-American education in Glynn County.