Skip to content
ONE Woodlawn Golf Tournament + Main Event TICKETS ARE HERE!
WOODLAWN SCHOOL
  • Shop
  • Explore
    • Explore Woodlawn
    • The Woodlawn Difference
    • Mission & Values
    • Our Campus
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Our Team
    • Board of Trustees
    • Career Opportunities
    • Tour Woodlawn
    • Contact
    • Map & Directions
    • In The News
  • Academics
    • Overview
    • Early Childhood
    • Lower School
      • Overview
      • Curriculum
      • Distinctive Elements
      • FAQ
    • Middle School
      • Overview
      • Curriculum
      • Distinctive Elements
      • National History Day
      • FAQ
    • Upper School
      • Overview
      • Curriculum
      • Distinctive Elements
      • Senior Capstone
      • FAQ
      • Commencement Awards
      • AP Courses
      • National Merit Awards
    • College Counseling
      • Overview
      • College Profile
      • Matriculations
      • Merit Scholarships
  • Admission
    • Overview
    • Who We Seek
    • The Process
    • Enrollment
    • Onboarding
    • Schedule A Tour
    • Request Information
    • Calendar
    • PBL Day
    • Open Houses
    • Discovery Days
    • Tuition + Financial Aid
  • Beyond The Classroom
    • Arts
    • Athletics
    • Outdoor Learning
    • Life Skills
    • Sustainability
    • Culture & Traditions
    • Service Learning
    • STEAMfest
    • Sharing PBL
    • Travel Abroad
    • Diversity
    • Exchange Students
    • International Students
  • Get Involved
    • Overview
    • ‘Blazer PAC Team
    • STEAMfest
    • Woodlawn Mentors
    • Donate
  • Giving
  • Families
  • Alumni
  • EXPLORE

    About

    Why Woodlawn
    Mission & Values
    Our Campus & Story
    Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

    People

    Our Team
    Board of Trustees
    Alumni
    Career Opportunities

    Connect

    Schedule A Tour
    Contact
    Map & Directions
    In The News

    Quick Links

    Schedule A Tour
    Apply Now
    Make A Gift
    Back to School
    Shop
    Calendar
    Families
    Aftercare
    Extended Day Clubs
    Summer Camps
    Alumni
    Giving
  • ACADEMICS

    Early Childhood

    Lower School

    Curriculum
    Distinctive Elements
    FAQ

    Middle School

    Curriculum
    Distinctive Elements
    National History Day
    FAQ

    Quick Links

    Schedule A Tour
    Apply Now
    Make A Gift
    Back to School
    Shop
    Calendar
    Families
    Aftercare
    Extended Day Clubs
    Summer Camps
    Alumni
    Giving

    Upper School

    Curriculum
    Distinctive Elements
    Senior Capstone
    FAQ
    AP Courses & Honors
    National Merit Awards
    Commencement Awards

    College Counseling

    College Profile
    Matriculations
    Merit Scholarships
  • ADMISSION

    WELCOME

    Letter From the Admissions Office
    The Woodlawn Difference

    THE DETAILS

    Steps to Apply
    Project-Based Learning Day
    Discovery Days
    Tuition + Financial Aid

    BEGIN

    Inquire
    Schedule A Campus Tour
    PreK, JK, + K Open House
    PBL Day Registration
    PreK, JK, + K Discovery Day Registrations

    Quick Links

    Schedule A Tour
    Apply Now
    Make A Gift
    Back to School
    Shop
    Calendar
    Families
    Aftercare
    Extended Day Clubs
    Summer Camps
    Alumni
    Giving
  • ATHLETICS

    FALL

    Boys Soccer
    Cross Country
    Girls Volleyball

    Winter

    Basketball
    Swimming

    SPRING

    Boys Volleyball
    Girls Soccer
    Track + Field
    Co-Ed Tennis

    Quick Links

    Schedule A Tour
    Apply Now
    Make A Gift
    Back to School
    Shop
    Calendar
    Families
    Aftercare
    Extended Day Clubs
    Summer Camps
    Alumni
    Giving
  • Beyond The Classroom

    At Our School

    Arts
    Outdoor Learning
    Life Skills
    Sustainability
    Culture & Traditions

    In The Community

    Service Learning
    STEAMfest
    Sharing PBL
    Summer Camps

    Around The World

    Travel Abroad
    Diversity
    Exchange Students
    International Students

    Quick Links

    Schedule A Tour
    Apply Now
    Make A Gift
    Back to School
    Shop
    Calendar
    Families
    Aftercare
    Extended Day Clubs
    Summer Camps
    Alumni
    Giving
  • Donate

    Volunteer

    Blazer PAC Team
    STEAMfest
    In The Community

    Donate

    Blazer Fund
    Annual Report

    Mentor

    Learn More

    Quick Links

    Schedule A Tour
    Apply Now
    Make A Gift
    Back to School
    Shop
    Calendar
    Families
    Aftercare
    Extended Day Clubs
    Summer Camps
    Alumni
    Giving

our Story

COME SEE THE DIFFERENCE

the woodlawn campus

heritage

Woodlawn School was founded in 2002 by the Bowman family with the goal of providing a school where students could experience hands-on, project-based learning, and where teachers could create a rigorous but engaging curriculum.  Our 61-acre wooded campus provides a unique, almost pastoral atmosphere that enhances students’ learning experiences.  Over the course of the last 20 years, the campus has grown from Stinson Hall and two small buildings for seven students to nine buildings and facilities supporting over 200 students. 

OUR FOCUS

OUR STUDENTS

Students at Woodlawn School are expected to meet the demands of a rigorous academic program, as well as demonstrate initiative, responsibility and social awareness. 

Woodlawn does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin. We seek to create a gender-balanced, culturally and socioeconomically diverse student population.

Our early learners and lower school students are joyful and inquisitive. They leap at the opportunity to come to Woodlawn each day and continue their adventures. 

Our middle school students, mature and change daily as the grow into young adults with a well-defined sense of self and their relationship to peers and the broader community.

Our upper school students are engaged, enthusiastic, outgoing and well spoken. They interact with adults as respected peers, demonstrate leadership, and participate in community service.

Our students fulfill the school’s mission by becoming contributing members of a diverse global society as doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, teachers, artists, entrepreneurs and much more.

ACADEMICS

The Bowman Family

OUR Founders

Woodlawn was founded in 2002 by the Bowman family who had just relocated to the Lake Norman area from the West Coast. Their desire was to build a school where students could experience hands-on, project-based learning, and where teachers could create a rigorous but engaging curriculum. 

Dwayne Bowman came from a technology background having served as Director of Engineering with Amazon.com starting in 1997. Prior to Amazon, Dwayne was the Director of Technology at Cobis and Knight Rider after working as a software engineer at Apple. Dwayne and his wife Karen were central to the development and operations of Woodlawn school for almost two decades. Dwayne taught Chemistry and other classes, maintained the grounds, served as head of school, and much more. Dwayne currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Trustees. Karen, was a teacher, organizer, webmaster, mentor, and friend to students, parents and faculty alike.  Dwayne and Karen are seen frequently at events and continue to support the school, preserve its history and culture, and maintain alumni relations.

Their son, Sawyer, graduated from Woodlawn with the class of 2011. He attended Bowdoin College where he completed, in 2015, a B.A. in Computer Science and Spanish with a minor in Chemistry. He is now a senior software engineer at Instacart in San Francisco, CA.

Their daughter, Sydney, graduated from Woodlawn with the class of 2014. She attended Occidental College and graduated, in 2018, with a B.A. in Diplomacy & World Affairs. Sydney was a Fulbright Scholar in Madrid, Spain. She is now employed at Curology in San Francisco, CA.

How we got here

OUR History

When Woodlawn was founded in 2002 by the Bowman family there were just seven students and two small buildings. Just two years later, 70 students were enrolled and Woodlawn had established a reputation as a place where high academic standards led to independent, lifelong learning.

In 2008, Woodlawn completed accreditation by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

In 2010, the school graduated its first senior class, and since then has sent 169 graduates to a wide variety of colleges, including Yale, Pomona, Princeton, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Rice, and Penn.

In 2014, the Varsity Boys Cross Country team won the NCISAA 1A state title and then repeated in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, the Varsity Girls Soccer team won the NCISAA 1a state title. 

In April 2020, Woodlawn pivoted seamlessly to online learning in response to the COVID pandemic, safely reopened campus in September, and succeeded in preventing on-campus transmission through the worst of the pandemic.  

In 2020, the Bowman family donated the campus land and buildings to help ensure the school’s long-term financial future.

In 2021, Woodlawn added the Early Explorers Pre-K program.

Early school sign.
First students - Spring 2003

Milestones

Sept. 7, 2002 – The first day of classes, 7 students enrolled in grades 4-7
Sept. 2003 – Klein Hall opened
Sept. 2005 – Jackson Hall opened
Sept. 2008 – SAIS and SACS accreditation received.
Sept. 2008 – Woods Hall and Red Barn opened
May 2009 – First upper school prom held – it was called the Blazer Ball for many years – not sure when that changed.  It was held at Campania Cafe (now Davidson Ice House)
Sept. 2010 – Van Buren Hall and Lodge opened
June 2010 – First commencement – 2 graduates honored (Kathleen Elkins and Chad Raines)
June 2011 – First National AP Scholars (Sawyer Bowman, Terin Patel-Wilson)
June 2012 – First National Merit Scholar (Paulina Campbell)
Oct. 2014 – Varsity Boys Cross Country wins NCISAA 1A state title (also won in 2015, 2016)
Mar. 11, 2015 – Ga Ga Pit (initiated, designed, and built by students and parents) opened
May 2015 – Varsity Girls Soccer wins NCISAA 1A state title
Oct. 2015 – Varsity Girls Cross Country wins NCISAA 1A state title
Sept. 2016 – Alumni Track and Field opened with Bill Rodgers as keynote speaker
Dec. 2016 – Low Ropes course opened
June 2017 – First graduates to enroll in a U.S. military academy (Zach Lorch and Quinn Schneider)
July 2018 – Woodlawn ranked #2 in NC 1A schools in Wells Fargo Cup Rankings
Feb. 2019 – Paul Zanowski selected as Head of School
Jan. 2020 – First STEAMfest event welcomes over 400 visitors to campus.
Mar. 2020 – Woodlawn shifts to online learning in response to COVID.
Nov. 2020 – Bowman family donates campus land and buildings.
Sept. 2020 – Woodlawn re-opens campus
April 2021 – STEAMfest Virtual welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world in a virtual event
June 2021 – Explorers Pre-K program added

April 2022 – STEAMfest exceeds 800 attendees on campus.
Aug 2022 – New maple wood gym floor installed.
Sept 7, 2022 – First “Founding Day” celebration to commemorate Woodlawn’s 20th anniversary.
Sept 2022 – Holly Honeycutt selected as Head of School starting in July 2023

Stinson Hall

Home To a Community

OUR Campus

In choosing the location of our campus, Karen and Dwayne believed in the power of place-based education. They knew Woodlawn’s campus, with its historic buildings and gardens, abundant greenspace, majestic trees, and forests would be an amazing place for children to learn, explore, and grow.

The campus features 9 buildings; 61 acres of woods and fields; gardens; outdoor classrooms; and a challenge course supporting our special emphasis on healthy, outdoor activities – 55 minutes of recess every day, for everyone!  Our curriculum is designed to use our campus to keep kids active, moving, and engaged.

  • State-of-the-art track & soccer field
  • Almost 2 miles of running trails
  • Low ropes challenge course
  • Gaga pit, frisbee golf, & putting green
  • Playground and natural play spaces
  • Garden, greenhouse, compost bins
  • Large open classrooms
  • Modern classroom technology
  • Outdoor amphitheater and activity field
  • Art room with pottery kilim
  • Community kitchen & meeting space
  • Outdoor fireplaces & fire pit
  • Numerous outdoor sitting, meeting and dining spaces.
  • Gym with maple hardwood floor, basketball and volleyball courts, bleachers and theatre stage.
  • College level science lab
Carriage House & Garden Shed
Van Buren Hall
The Playground
 
 
  1. Alumni Track & Soccer Field
  2. The Red Barn
  3. Woods Hall
  4. Van Buren Hall
  5. The Lodge
  6. The Garden & Greenhouse
  7. Klein Hall
  8. The Playground
  9. The Quad & Amphitheater
  10. Stinson Hall
  11. Jackson Hall
  12. Carriage House
  13. Garden Shed
The Lodge
The Red Barn
Woods Hall

The STINSON HOME

Historic Wood lawn

The main house on the Woodlawn campus is a 2-story home built in 1836. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The architectural details are common to the transitional Federal-Greek Revival style often built in the Piedmont area of North Carolina at that time. It was built by Dr. George Washington Stinson, a planter and trustee of Davidson College. The original structure consisted of 8 rooms (each with its own fireplace and mantle) on 2 levels of center hallways. The two-and-a-half story staircase features a walnut, spiral-turned handrail believed imported from Charleston.

Tradition relates that Dr. Stinson’s home was popular among the Davidson students, not only because he had several eligible daughters, but also because he permitted square dancing, which was strongly discouraged by the Presbyterians of the day. Stinson was a member of Centre Presbyterian Church, where he and his wife are buried. The house remained in the Stinson family until the twentieth century.

The barn on the eastern edge of the property is believed to have been built around 1910. During the mid-1900s, it housed several mules that were used in farming the fields.

In 1981, an upstairs bathroom was installed, heat pumps were placed into service, and the front porch was restored. In 1985, a significant, architecturally compatible addition was made to the back of the house. This included a kitchen and breakfast area, bathroom, and wraparound deck. The carriage house was also constructed at this time, and the nearby potting shed was finished in the early 1990s. In 2003, the house was renovated for use by the school, and was dedicated as Stinson Hall, in honor of its builder.

Wood Lawn photographed in 1979 for submission to the National Register of Historic Places.

Original submission to the National Register of Historic Places describing the history and architecture of the home. 

Download the full document.

the great outdoors

NATURAL SURROUNDINGS

Sometimes learning is a dirty business and we’re ok with that. We like to be outside and so do our students. It’s not unusual to find our environmental upper school science class down in the wetlands placing coverboards, or perhaps you’ll find our lower school students playing in the ever-popular “Nature Club” wooded area during their lunch break. Did we mention our students are avid gardeners? Our middle and lower school students tend to their own plot throughout the year and host seedling sales and garden salsa parties. We value the importance of outdoor learning just as much as our parents value the importance of good detergent.

LOWER
SCHOOL

EXPLORE LOWER SCHOOL

MIDDLE
SCHOOL

EXPLORE MIDDLE SCHOOL

UPPER
SCHOOL

EXPLORE UPPER SCHOOL

COLLEGE
COUNSELING

BE PREPARED

OUR SCHOOL

EMPLOYMENT

OUR TEAM

OUR STORY

CONTACT US

NEWS + EVENTS

CALENDAR

ATHLETICS CALENDAR

IN THE NEWS

ACADEMICS

EARLY CHILDHOOD

LOWER SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

UPPER SCHOOL

QUICK LINKS

SCHEDULE A TOUR

APPLY NOW

MAKE A GIFT

Instagram Facebook Youtube Twitter Linkedin

 

Phone:  704.895.8653
Campus Address:
135 Woodlawn School Loop, Mooresville, NC 28115
Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 549, Davidson, NC 28036

Woodlawn School Trailblazers, Mooresville, NC

 

Woodlawn School is an accredited private school providing a project-based learning curriculum for Pre-K – 12 grade academics. Our historic 61-acre campus is located just north of Charlotte, NC in beautiful Mooresville, and within driving distance of Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, North Mecklenburg, and Concord. 

Global Online Academy Partner School
Woodlawn School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin 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, sexual orientation, national, or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

© Woodlawn School 2025

ANNOUNCEMENT:
INCLEMENT WEATHER

Due to inclement weather predicted to impact our community, we will move to virtual classes for all Woodlawn students, Pre-K through 12th grade, tomorrow, January 9. In addition, all athletic practices and events are postponed.

Please check your email for detailed instructions from teachers, and Woodlawn administration.

Year-End Giving by 12/31/23

Thank you for considering Woodlawn School in your year-end giving. Below are multiple giving options

 

  • ‘Blazer Fund
  • Endowment
  • Capital Gifts
  • Gift of stock (call number below to initiate)
  • Make a Pledge

 

For questions, please contact Kari McCormick, Director of Development + Community Engagement:

E-mail | 704.895.8653

Add Your Heading Text Here