Profiles

Lee County Schools NC

When looking at what Lee County Schools, NC has to offer, consider The O’Neal School. A college preparatory private school, O’Neal is just a short drive across the Lee County border. More than 30 students travel from Lee County to attend O’Neal. For many years, students from Lee County, NC represent 8 to 11% of the total student enrollment.
 
O’Neal has a great relationship with establishments in Lee County, NC. The high school level Outdoor Club kayaks the Deep River via Endor Paddle LLC. The renowned Temple Theater and O’Neal are longtime acquaintances through its support of the School’s annual auction. Such support is also given by Tobacco Road Golf course as well as members of the Carolina Artists’ Colony.
 
Transportation to and from school is provided by activity buses with designated stops in common areas.
 
The Sanford Route:
  • 7:10 am Lowes Foods, 830 Spring Lane, Sanford, NC (stop is behind the gas station)
  • 4-4:10 pm approximate return times
  • No advance notification needed for “am” and “pm” transportation as the route is daily
Go to Transportation Services for more information.
 
For more than 45 years, O’Neal has provided a safe, nurturing and academic environment for its students. The School serves students from pre-kindergarten age 3 through 12th grade and is dedicated to the development of academic excellence, strength of character and physical well-being of its students in an environment where self-discipline, integrity and consideration for others are fundamental. O’Neal a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and qualifies for membership through its dual accreditation with the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) – a part of the same accreditation association as that of the public sector of Lee County Schools, NC (known as AdvancedED).
From learning Spanish in preschool, to reading a higher level book in kindergarten or being placed in an accelerated math class in middle school and choosing an independent study in high school, all students are challenged and given the resources to excel. The Common Core Curriculum is not used.  Unlike the public sector of Lee County Schools, NC; no end of grade testing is given. 

 Lee County Schools, NC vs O’Neal SAT/ACT Chart
 
Class of 2017
Avg. SAT Score
Avg. ACT Score
O’Neal
1181
25.9
Lee Early College
*
21.3
Lee County High School
1028
17.6
Southern Lee High School
1069
18.6

*not enough people took the test to calculate the average
** Scores were not available for Lee Christian School and Grace Christian School applicants.
*** Public School SAT/ACT scores were retrieved from the NCDPI website.

O'Neal holds various recognitions on the global, national, state, regional and county levels for academics, arts and athletics. Unlike graduates from Lee County Schools, NC all of O'Neals graduates are accepted into colleges and universities across the nation. In 2016, the 32-member graduating class was awarded $3.3M in merit-based scholarships. O’Neal claims 3 recipients for the nationally-recognized Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill – one of whom is from Lee County -- in addition to a combination of 15 finalists and semifinalists over the past 25 years.
 
Character developmet is considered a crucial part of cultivating future leaders. Throughout the divisions, there are many different programs and activities in place to help achieve strong character traits such as an honor code (no locks on lockers), community service projects, overnight class trips (for middle school and high school students), a structured character development program in the elementary school grades, global awareness with study abroad/homestays and a strong advisory program.

Students at O'Neal never want to miss school and they're just as happy to stay after school too. Kindergarten students don't want to miss swimming for PE class. Elementary school after school clubs such as Falcon Fit, Lower School Chorus and Battle of the Books are always a hit. Middle school and high school team sports, the elementary school after care program, Lego Leagues, Science Olympiad, and more make O'Neal an enriched community for students to belong.

When considering Lee County Schools, NC; O'Neal welcomes you to schedule a visit to its campus as well.
"Without a doubt, O'Neal prepared me for both the college application process and college itself. The teachers and staff helped me develop academic drive and work ethic while encouraging me to expand my boundaries and develop meaningful relationships with the people around me. As a recent college graduate, I owe so much to the incredible people I met and life-changing experiences I had at the O'Neal School."

Addison Horner '12
Elon University Honors Fellow
Music Production and Recording Arts Major
Sanford Native


The average classroom size at O’Neal is 15 students. Almost half of the faculty members have post graduate degrees. Presently there are 413 students enrolled with 8% traveling from Lee County. 
 
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: 
 
3 Classroom Buildings 2 Gymnasiums Swimming Pool Robotics Lab
Dining Commons Library/Media Center Greenhouse Science Laboratories
Art Studios Playgrounds Theater Fitness Center
Soccer Field Baseball Field Pottery Kiln Tennis Courts
 
O'Neal serves students who live in the following areas of Lee County, NC:

Sanford, NC Broadway, NC Lemon Springs, NC Tramway, NC
Carolina Trace, NC Deep River, NC Northview, NC Cumnock, NC
 


The O'Neal School

3300 Airport Road
Southern Pines, NC 28387
Phone: 910.692.6920
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.
© The O'Neal School