History

On January 13, 1906, Loma Linda Academy humbly began with six students in a tent pitched on the side of Sanitarium Hill in Loma Linda, California.

The following year, enrollment grew to twelve. This class with teacher Mrs. Otis Fisher, posed for the picture. By 1917, high school students were also attending and LLA graduated its first class in 1921. In order to meet the needs of the thriving school, a building, later known as Franz Hall, was built in the 1930s.

Through the years, LLA has gratefully counted many blessings and dealt with many challenges, including fires and floods. More than 8,000 alumni have filled the hallways since that humble beginning. Now, over 100 years later, the school has undergone major renovations including new classrooms, gymnasiums, administration facilities, and student "quad" areas. Although the Children's Center, Elementary, Junior High and High School now have their own areas of the campus, they are one in purpose.

As part of one of the largest and oldest K-12 parochial school networks in the world, Loma Linda Academy draws from years of experience in Bible curriculum. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has over 9,500 educational institutions operating in over 200 countries around the world with over 2 million students worldwide.

Currently, LLA is educating more than 1,300 students for eternity.

The Seventh-day Adventist church grew in the mid 1840s during the Second Great Awakening, a time of religious revival in the United States. Its first members came from the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Christian Connection congregations, but over the following decades the denomination has grown into a worldwide church with millions of members. The church is well known for its excellence in healthcare, education, and human service activities.

One of the founding principles of the Adventist church is a healthy lifestyle based on a balanced combination of exercise, diet, and trust in God. Adventists are generally vegetarian, and do not smoke or drink alcohol. They operate successful stop-smoking clinics worldwide. Loma Linda, California, a primarily Adventist community, was recently named by researcher Dan Buettner a "blue zone" or "longevity oasis" where the residents not only have the longest life expectancy on earth, but are happier and healthier, too.