Western Reserve Academy was founded in 1826 as part of Western Reserve College, making it the 29th-oldest preparatory school in the United States. Although the college moved to Cleveland in 1882, it continued to financially support the preparatory school until 1900. In 1903, due to lack of funds, the academy was forced to close. In 1910, benefactor and academy alumnus James Ellsworth (1849-1925) purchased the campus and buildings and began to make improvements. In 1916, the academy reopened under the control of the College Board of the Presbyterian Church of the United States. When Ellsworth passed away in 1925, part of his estate was bequeathed to the academy and a foundation was established.