Sam and Nathalie Brown decided to open a school for boys, and approached Bishop Stephen Bayne of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia who directed them to take the plan forward.

They along with other interested parents purchased 127 acres on Chambers Creek Road and began functioning as a private boys school as approved by Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Charles Wright Academy Tarrier is represented by a mascot named Spike, a man wearing a plaid shirt and a bowler hat while holding a mallet.

Due to the obscure nature of the term Tarrier and it being a homophone of the small dog, the “terrier,” the Charles Wright Academy community spends a great deal of time[citation needed] explaining their mascot and its origins honoring the hard-working Irish immigrants in the United States, who worked on building the Northern Pacific Railroad to the Pacific terminus in Tacoma, WA.

[2] A total of 11 sports are offered, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball.