In 1930, Montgomery County in conjunction with Austin Peay Normal School, entered into an experimental practice teaching program. The purpose of this program was to provide cooperative training and experience for those interested in becoming educators. This school, that is now known as Byrns L. Darden, was staffed with three classroom teachers and a teacher/principal. Dr. D. Harley Fite was appointed teacher/principal by P.P. Claxton, then president of Austin Peay, and Superintendent N.L. Carney of the Montgomery County School System. In 1959, the Montgomery County Board of Education voted to change the name of the school from New Providence Elementary School to the Byrns L. Darden Demonstration School. In 1966, Byrns L. Darden became a part of the Clarksville-Montgomery county Unified School System. It was the first of the former county schools to receive Southern Association Accreditation under the leadership of Principal, Anna Belle Darden. Byrns L. Darden has a rich history as a regional educational training center for many local and regional educators.