Bonham Academy is a safe, nurturing, and supportive school that strives to provide all of our students with a well-rounded education that will help prepare them to reach their full potential. Our work is guided by the following three pillars: dual language, fine arts, and environmental science, and these help make our campus a unique and special place. We understand the importance of teaching the whole-child and we work to ensure that all of our students have access to the opportunities that they deserve.
School History
Bonham Academy is one of the oldest schools in the San Antonio Independent School District. The school was founded in 1889 as the Garden Street School and was later renamed James Butler Bonham Elementary in 1902.
James Butler Bonham (February 20, 1807 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American soldier who died at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution.
The school is also one of the longest-standing in-district charter schools, when its community took on the task of creating the charter in 2006-2007. As a dual language, fine arts, and science academy, the school expanded into the middle school grades starting in the fall of 2007, and the programs have continued to grow.
Bonham has a long-standing commitment to dual language and to enhancing its strong commitment to the fine arts and science. Through various community partnerships and deep-rooted family engagement, the school has seen many years of success as an exemplary model around San Antonio, Texas, the United States, and beyond.
The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.