The Elon School is pleased to announce that the school has earned full accreditation with the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). This accreditation confirms upon the school a valuable affirmation of excellence from the regions premier body of accreditation for independent schools. The school was founded by and provided with substantial ongoing philanthropic investment from Elon Homes and Schools for Children, Inc., the 103 year old faith based nonprofit company with headquarters in Elon, North Carolina. “ We are extremely proud of our students, families and faculty at The Elon School” stated Dr. Fred Grosse, President of Elon Homes and Schools for Children. “What they all have done together these past four years has been incredible so while we are honored to be now fully accredited, we are not surprised with this high level of institutional approval because of the passion for excellence at our school.”

Now well into its fourth full year of operation The Elon School has rapidly earned a reputation as an independent college preparatory high school that provides a rigorous academic program as well as a high level of personal contact between students and faculty.   Senior Eric Peavy has noted, “I have never been part of a community that is stronger than The Elon School.  The relationship between faculty and students is something that before coming here, I didn’t think possible. The teachers foster an atmosphere of trust, allowing independence and individualism, yet somehow have created an incredible sense of allegiance we feel for one another and the school. This school encourages, nurtures and protects each student as they decide what their dream will be, and then gives them the tools and confidence to pursue them. My education did not truly begin until I became a member of The Elon School.”

Committed to a truly co-curricular approach The Elon School has already seen many of its artists win statewide awards, its athletes successfully compete for team state titles, as well as individual all-state honors, while its performing artists have recently returned from a celebrated engagement in Vienna, Austria to thrill local constituents with their holiday choir performances.  The school also produces extraordinary musicians through its Rock Ensembles, many of who will study music — from pop to classical — in their college years.  Ever true to its roots, every member of the school’s family engages in regular community service activities throughout their career at The Elon School.  Logically this student-wide commitment has yielded exciting college scholarship offerings, as well as our very first semi-finalist for the Morehead-Cain scholarship, the outcome of which we will discover in the coming months.  

Dr. Barbara Tapscott was chairman of the Board of Governors for Elon Homes and Schools, and she envisioned this dream when she voted to create The Elon School. “We knew we had a beautiful campus here in Elon and a strong desire to serve the academic needs of students in our county. This agency has always enjoyed meeting the needs of children as they have evolved for over 100 years. The former Barringer Center for Child Development building, which actually served many of our students as infants and toddlers, was the perfect place to locate our independent high school. We could not be more thrilled with the performance of everyone at The Elon School.”

Perhaps the SAIS accreditation report summarizes this success story the best, “The Elon School exhibits the kind of school culture which we aspire to create in our own schools.  The student-to-student relationships are supportive and caring; the interactions between faculty, parents, administrators, and students are genuine and deep.  The school has accomplished a tremendous amount in the short time it has been in existence and has laid a solid foundation for itself as it matures.”