Profiles

Moore County Schools NC

Due to restrictions set forth in response to the COVID Pandemic, some activities listed below may be delayed or suspended. Please visit O'Neal's COVID-19 page for more information. 

The O’Neal School is a college preparatory private school and is among Moore County Schools, NC with more than 45 years of providing a safe, nurturing and academic environment to its students. A strong curriculum begins in at the early ages continues through middle school and beyond.
 
Its mission is the cultivation of academic excellence, character development, and physical well-being from pre-kindergarten to middle school and through the high school division.  The School is one of few educational institutions among Moore County Schools, NC that is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). O’Neal qualifies for its membership through its dual accreditation with the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) – the same accreditation association as that of North Carolina Public Schools.
 
When considering Moore County Schools for education, The O’Neal School is worth a visit.
Academics
  • The School offers a highly recognized early childhood education among Moore County Schools, NC for preschool level students with O’Neal’s pre-kindergarten program for ages 3 and 4.
  • All levels – elementary school, middle school and high school – have a curriculum that builds from grade to grade and is designed to ultimately produce academic excellence. Critical thinking, global awareness, and technology skills are woven into the formula. Unlike the public institutions among Moore County Schools, NC; the common core curriculum is NOT used.
  • Foreign language is introduced starting at the preschool ages with Spanish class.
  • Standardized testing is given once a year in the higher elementary school grades and middle school grades to ensure that the needs of the student can be met and the teachers can make improvements to how and what they teach. Unlike the public Moore County Schools, no end of grade testing is given. PSATS are given to all 9th, 10th and 11th grade students in preparation for SAT and ACT tests the 11th and 12th grade years.
  Moore County Schools, NC SAT/ACT Chart
 
Avg. SAT Score
2019-2020
Avg. ACT Score
2018-2019
O’Neal 1171 25.3
North Moore High School ---- 16.4
Pinecrest High School 1151 ----
Union Pines High School 1148 19.4
  • 18 Advanced Placement courses are offered.
  • O'Neal has joined a nationwide consortium called One Schoolhouse, where O'Neal's high school students will be able to take advantage of online courses taught by independent school teachers. In addition, the Upper School will now be able to support students admitted to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics to attend the NCSSM Online Program. 
  • High School students are also allowed to take courses at Sandhills Community College.
 
Achievement
  • 100% of O’Neal’s graduates are accepted to colleges and universities across the nation
  • The 30-member Class of 2020 was awarded $1.8M in scholarships. Read more on the Class of 2020
  • O’Neal claims 3 recipients for the nationally-recognized Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill in addition to a combination of 15 finalists and semifinalists over the past 25 years.
  • The Class of 2020 includes a recipient of the prestigious Park Scholarship offered at NC State University.
  • O’Neal’s Middle School Science Olympiad Team has qualified for state competition for 5 consecutive years and has won the regional competition.
  • O'Neal continues to be highly competitive in Moore County Arts Council Young People’s Art Competition, a competition including all Moore County Schools.  Take a look into its history: 2018  2019  2020
  • O'Neal was awarded the Wells Fargo Cup for Division 2A as being the #1 ranked athletics program in the North Carolina Independent School Athletics Association (NCISAA) for the 2018/2019 school year. Fall and Winter Accolades for 2019/2020: Girls Golf- State Champions, Girls Basketball- Conference Champions and State Runner-Up, Girls Swimming - 3rd Place State, Middle School Boys Soccer - Conference Champions
 
Character
  • O’Neal abides by an honor code resulting in no locks on lockers, a trust in doing one’s own work and (in the High School grades) a student-elected honor council to address honor code violations.
  • The Leadership Academy offers select high school students leadership development by cultivating and fortifying their emotional intelligence and building individual character through group activities and community service. 
  • The Arts (art/theater and music) as well as physical education are a part of the students’ weekly class schedule. 
  • Team sports are offered for three seasons for middle school and high school students. Some game schedules include other Moore County Schools.
  • Community service projects are conducted in divisions, as well as clubs and organizations and sometimes even school-wide. In the high school grades, 36 hours of community service is required in order to graduate.
  • The middle school and high school grades go on overnight class trips at the beginning of the school year as a way to bond with classmates and experience areas of their curriculum they will be studying that year.
  • O’Neal has a strong advisory program in the middle school and high school grades. O'Neal has partnered with the The Social Institute to support families and help students navigate challenges related to social-emotional health, social media, and technology.
  • Homestay/study abroad experiences offered to students in the high school grades have given students a chance to experience and respect different cultures as well as language immersion.
 
Amenities
  • O’Neal has a school nurse, school counselor, college counselor and athletic trainer
  • O'Neal is the only of Moore County Schools, NC whose physical education curriculum includes swimming for students from kindergarten through 8th grade.
  • An afterschool care program as well as afterschool clubs and programs are offered to students in the preschool and elementary school grades. Supervision is provided to middle school students after school as well as clubs and activities in addition to sports.
  • Transportation to and from school is provided by activity buses with designated stops in common areas for Lee and Richmond County.
  • O'Neal is the home of the USA Swimming Year-Round Club, The O'Neal Pelagics. 
  • O’Neal is one of a few Moore County Schools that offers summer camps for preschool ages through high school grades.
“My wife and I continue to implicitly trust The O’Neal School with the health, welfare, and safety of our four children during the COVID pandemic. The School is a model in preparedness, safeguarding, and monitoring children as they conduct summer camps and off-season conditioning programs. No school cares more about our nation’s greatest treasure - our children - than O’Neal.” -- Retired Lt. Col. Matthew McGraw.
The Classroom:
Average Class Size: 12
Student:Teacher Ratio: 8:1
 
The Teachers:
Number of Faculty Members: 54
Advanced Degrees: 52%
More than 15 years of service at O’Neal: 17%
 
The Students:
Lower School (Preschool and Elementary School levels): 195
Middle School: 158
Upper School (High School level) Enrollment: 115
 
Towns/Cities of Residence:
 
Southern Pines, NC Whispering Pines, NC Seven Lakes, NC Pinehurst, NC
Aberdeen, NC Vass, NC Cameron, NC Carthage, NC
Robbins, NC Pinebluff, NC West End, NC Jackson Springs, NC
  
The Facilities:
The O’Neal School is nestled on a 40-acre wooded campus located in Moore County, NC across from Sandhills Community College. The five building campus has the following facilities that cater to the high school students:
 
3 Classroom Buildings 2 Gymnasiums Swimming Pool 3D Printing Lab
Dining Commons Library/Media Center Greenhouse Science Laboratories
Art Studios Playgrounds Theater Fitness Center
Soccer Field Baseball Field Pottery Kiln Tennis Courts
The O'Neal School admits students of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.