[5]: 63 In September 1973, the school system launched with 2,400 pupils attending kindergarten through eighth-grade classes at 11 Southern Baptist churches throughout the Memphis area.

[6] Few, if any, were black, despite a declared policy of nondiscrimination — a requirement for the school's tax-exempt status — and reported efforts by Briarcrest officials to attract African-American students.

A 1976 book published by Christian Literature Crusade said those efforts included asking 10 African-American pastors in Memphis for recruiting help and advertising in the Tri-State Defender, a local minority newspaper.

'"[6] In the fall of 1974, Briarcrest narrowly won an auction for a plot of land in East Memphis, beating out a Jewish group that sought to build a synagogue.

[5]: 33–36 In its early years, the Briarcrest system continued to hold elementary-grade classes in various churches, paying minimal rent so it could concentrate capital spending on its high school campus.

[2][12] Memphis NAACP chair Maxine Smith described the school as a "bastion of white segregation in a city with a 40% black population".

[13] Allen said the school's attempts at outreach were foiled by the black community, whose children were "pressured into staying away, feeling they'd be Uncle Toms if they came.

[2] In 1984, a group of black parents sued Allen in his official capacity, alleging that the school practiced discriminatory policies that require the revocation of its federal tax-exempt status.

The case, Allen v. Wright, was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court, which held that the parents did not have standing to challenge the IRS ruling on the school's tax status.

[21] In 2021, the school attracted controversy by inviting parents to a seminar on how to "respond biblically" to children coming out or embracing an alternative gender identity.

All students attend weekly chapel services, study the Bible, and are encouraged to have what evangelical Christians describe as "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ".

Briarcrest offers athletic programs including football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, cross country, golf, bowling, swimming, trap shooting, softball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, track, tennis, and cheerleading.