Bill Bradshaw had a vision. He recognized the need for a new private school in Nashville. And, in early 1971, Franklin Road Academy was established under the First Christian Church's 1957 Charter of Incorporation.

The church property consisted of twelve acres of land, an original stone residence, and a brick building which contained a church sanctuary and offices. When the first phase of the school building program started, mortgage bonds in the amount of $300,000 were sold by the church and bought by parents, church members, and friends.

Mr. Bradshaw tested the first students in the office of the Howell Hardware Store on Twelfth Avenue. With paint still wet on the walls, the school opened on September 7, 1971.

Applications for the 1972-73 school year increased, and a nearby church was leased to provide additional classrooms. Sack lunches were brought in daily, and students were transported between the two facilities in an old limousine-type, six-door vehicle that had once been a taxi.

During March of 1973, the second building phase was planned. Eight classrooms and the Lower School library were financed by contributions from parents and friends with many in-kind gifts such as labor, materials, and “know-how”.

In 1973, Franklin Road Academy was approved by the Tennessee Department of Education. The following year, FRA became a member of the former Mid-South Association of Independent Schools.

In July of 1975, the Burke house and land adjacent to the church property were purchased for use by the kindergarten, and a decision was made to add the ninth grade the next fall. Nine students used the house for the first Upper School site.

The land known as the Link property was purchased in December of 1975 and became the site of the present Upper School. Forty-two ninth and tenth grade students began the fall of 1976 in the new Upper School building even though the roof was incomplete. Each successive year, another grade was added until 1978-79 when the first graduation was held with forty seniors.