The O'Neal School 3300 Airport Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387

"My education at the O’Neal school began in the fourth grade. I graduated in the class of 2015 and was accepted into the honors college at the University of Mississippi. My teachers at O’Neal were incredible educators. Each of them was interested in me as a person as well as a student. They prepared me in every area for my first year in college. I excel in math and science and find english to be a challenge, but the background that I received at O’Neal enabled me to perform at my fullest potential at Ole Miss. My parents chose to send me to O’Neal because of its reputation for outstanding education in our area. They believed that the financial cost would be well worth it. The small classroom environment allowed me to have a more intimate relationship with each of my teachers and classmates. I chose to stay throughout high school not necessarily for the social interaction but for the education that I knew I would receive. My freshman year in college was an easier transition from high school because of O’Neal."

"As a student who is a few short weeks from graduating, I can say that The O'Neal School has been a major influence on my development as a student and as an individual. In the classroom O'Neal has challenged me to push myself beyond where I am comfortable. All throughout my experience at O'Neal the teachers have been a major source of inspiration and challenge for me. My teachers have always pushed me to do better than I believed I could and to stretch myself to study material in areas that I wasn't comfortable in. At times the heavy workload in combination with your commitments to outside activities and school sports can seem daunting, but there are always teachers, administrators, and friends to support you. At O'Neal you are expected to test your limits and grow as an academic, but also as an individual. In addition to being the source of much of your work teachers are inspirations. All of the teachers that I have had at O'Neal have had a true passion for the material they teach and choose to teach because they genuinely seem to love it. I believe that the atmosphere at O'Neal, where learning is valued for its own sake, has enabled me to grow into a lifelong learner. Reflecting on my experience at O'Neal, I realize the love of learning that has developed through my time here and am thankful as I prepare to adapt to learning at university and beyond. Outside of the classroom O'Neal excels in offering many opportunities for students to become involved in their school as well as the larger community. This is often done through service organizations such as O'Neal Volunteers and Key Club as well as a variety of varsity level sports. In addition, I have had many opportunities to travel with my school and classmates including a two-week trip to France to stay with a host family as well as a more recent trip to China to act as ambassadors to our sister school Nan-fang High School. At O'Neal the students, faculty, coaches, and administration have a shared goal of student enrichment."

"O'Neal is a spectacular private school that both nurtures and educates the whole child. Our children have learned through experiences - one highlight is the greenhouse and gardening that the children do especially in the lower school. Mainstays like math, science, english and history are very strong at O'Neal but the specials like art, music, language and sports allow the children to explore and excel in all aspects of life. O'Neal works hard to keep curriculum current and challenging and they select the best faculty and continue to invest in their continuing education. I love that from pre-k, all three of my children knew students in almost every grade - O'Neal is the only school in Moore County where kindergarteners and seniors are buddies, and that is really awesome!"

"O’Neal offers a quality education that gives our family peace of mind. With an easy, thirty-five minute drive down Highway 1 from Sanford, it is well worth it! O’Neal’s great classroom ratios, supportive teachers and administrators, and the opportunity to participate in multiple sports, are what attracted me to the school. As a parent and educator, O’Neal is special because their small class sizes offer students daily opportunities to develop verbal and written language skills. Students are also expected to read beyond the standard and frequently practice formal written responses to develop their written language skills. The development of these skills are often underachieved in settings with larger classroom sizes. With this positive, interactive learning environment, I am confident that my children will have bright futures because of the exceptional education they are receiving at O’Neal."

"We have two children at O'Neal and our third will be attending the school next year. The PreK and Elementary programs are the best in the area. With small class sizes and great teachers that show how much they love and understand your child each day, our children love going to school here. In many subject areas the O'Neal School has helped our children move well beyond their grade level because the teachers have the time, training, and motivation to do so. And in those areas where our kids have struggled, the attention to helping them improve has been amazing to watch. We feel very lucky to have found the school, and are very happy with the eduction our children have received to this point."