The Waid Academy was opened in September 1886 on its present site and is a non-denominational, co-educational, comprehensive secondary school. There are several main blocks of buildings at the Academy, each of a different architectural style. In recent years a number of hutted classrooms have been provided to cope with the ever-rising roll. The school enjoys a good reputation, and there is a rich and varied extra-curricular programme. A new Sports Centre was opened at the school in August 2003 and new playing fields, including all-weather floodlit facilities, are on site. The school's paintings cover the range of the school's heritage, from portraits of its founder, Andrew Waid (1736–1804), to a contemporary landscape by a former member of staff.