History

The O’Neal School was founded in 1971, when Mrs. Wallace W. O’Neal donated a 20-acre tract of land on Airport Road in Southern Pines to the Sandhills Independent School Corporation. The 1971-72 school year saw the Wallace O’Neal Day School open with 3 teachers and 35 students in grades 4-6.

Wallace O'Neal

More grades were added in succeeding years, until students were enrolled in 1^st through 12^th grades in 1976.  The faculty had grown to 23 teachers by the next year, when the first advanced placement courses were instituted.  Kindergarten was added in 1980 and Pre-Kindergarten was introduced in 1987.

Athletic programs complemented the academic curriculum; soccer and volleyball were early emphases.  O’Neal’s golf team won its first of three consecutive State Championships in 1979, and the school soon developed a reputation in swimming.

In 1982, O’Neal initiated what is now called the Academic Enrichment Center for students with learning differences. In 1985, the school name was changed to “The O’Neal School”.

In 1995, The Core Knowledge Curriculum was implemented for Kindergarten through Eighth Grade and The O’Neal School became a national visitation site for other schools looking to implement the curriculum.

First Graduating Class

Phase II of O’Neal’s Campus Master Plan included the 1999 construction of a new Upper School building, Meyer Hall. Students and teachers moved into their new home in the spring of 2000. The building accommodates individual classrooms for every teacher, two well-appointed science labs, and a research lab with study carrels and computers.

With increasing enrollment and a solid financial base, O’Neal was able to initiate the next phase of its campus plan earlier than expected, and Bradshaw Hall was completed in the summer of 2002. This multipurpose facility houses administration (headmaster, admissions, institutional advancement, finance and transportation services), a dining commons, a library with adjacent computer lab, and two art studios. A renovation of the Middle School, Taws Hall, took place in 2003 with gym renovations complete in 2005.

The New Lower School

In 2006, as O’Neal celebrated its 35^th birthday, Phase III of the Campus Master Plan was underway in conjunction with a $7 million capital campaign to “Complete the Vision”. The 5-year campaign is an effort to complete the Master Plan and grow endowment funds to enhance teacher salaries and financial aid for deserving students.

Phase III of the Master Plan includes the building of a new Lower School and an Activities Center. Ground was broken for the New Lower School in December 2006 with completion set for December of 2007. The Activities Center construction is expected to begin the summer of 2007 and will include a second gymnasium, a theatre and conditioning facilities for students and staff.

Also in 2006, O’Neal hired a transportation services director and bus drivers and purchased 6 new activity buses. Four routes from Laurinburg, Rockingham, Sanford and Troy run everyday for student pick-up and drop-off.

Today, The O’Neal School employees over 75 faculty and staff members with a student enrollment exceeding 460 and in May of 2007 graduated its largest senior class of 47 students.

The O’Neal School continues a proud tradition of educating the whole child and is committed to providing faculty, resources and facilities necessary to make this a reality.