Are you searching for the best private schools in the Lake Norman area? Well, look no further. While Lake Norman is home to many great public and charter schools, the sheer affluence in this area has given rise to the demand for private education.

The following is a list of the best private schools in the Lake Norman area. Though this list is not a ranking of schools, we do begin with the school that ranks at the top of a recent Axios list.

According to the 2022 Axios ranking of the best private schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, Davidson Day School comes in at #7. This makes it the top-ranked private school in the Lake Norman area according to that survey.

Davidson Day School is conveniently located in Davidson, North Carolina – the heart of the Lake Norman region. It currently enrolls around 500 students in grades PreK-12 and boasts an 8:1 student to faculty ratio. 

Davidson Day was founded in 1999 and was located close to Davidson College. The school was moved to a beautiful new 15-acre campus in 2007.

Vital stats:

• Average class size: 12 students
• 18 AP courses offered
• Athletics: 38 teams in 11 sports
• College acceptance rate: 100%

Student culture:

• 90% athletic participation rate
• 28 Arts classes (upper school)
• 100% participation rate in community service
• 26 annual music & theatre performances
• 22 student-led clubs

Learn more: DavidsonDay.org

Davidson Day School
750 Jetton Street
Davidson, NC 28036
(704) 237-5200

Grace Covenant Academy is a subsidiary of Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, North Carolina and was founded in 2001. Grace Covenant Academy has established itself as a name in the community for parent involvement and a nurturing environment. Currently, Grace Covenant Academy enrolls approximately 300 students in grades PreK – Grade 8.  

Grace Covenant Academy prides itself on providing a faith-based community while developing students with an ability to view and understand the world through a biblical lens. They engage parents as partners in their student’s journey and educate the whole child. Like other private schools in this category, the class sizes at Grace Covenant Academy are capped at no more than 18 students.

In addition, Grace Covenant Academy also offers competitive athletic opportunities for students in grades 6-8. Currently Grace Covenant Academy offers: Cross Country, Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Baseball and Flag Football. As is the case with GCA’s academic programming, the athletic programs are Christian-centered and develop students to be Warriors.

Vital stats:

• Average class size: 18 students
• AP courses offered at middle school level
• Athletics: 9 teams in 6 sports

Grace Covenant Academy also provides enrichment opportunities and activities for students, such as:

• Creative Arts and Art History
• Spanish Cultural Education and Language
• Drama and Theatre
• Visual Arts
• Fine Arts and Music
• Physical Education
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Grace Covenant Academy provides each student with opportunities to develop their leadership skills through guest speakers, challenging leadership activities, and other projects that build decision-making and responsibility skills.

Students at Grace Covenant Academy are also participate in weekly chapel services and participate in community outreach activities.

Learn more at: GraceCovenantAcademy.org

Grace Covenant Academy
17301 Statesville Road
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 892-5601

SouthLake Christian Academy is a subsidiary of SouthLake Presbyterian Church and is located in Huntersville, NC. The school was founded in 1994 and currently enrolls over 650 students in grades PreK-12. 

Students are trained in traditional Christian principles with daily bible studies that are integrated into every endeavor at the school – academic, athletic, artistic, social, etc.

The school is located on a 30-acre campus on the Southside of Lake Norman. SouthLake Christian class sizes are smaller than those of public schools in the area, affording students more individual attention from their instructors. The school teaches to each child’s strengths through a “multi-sensory” teaching approach.

The school also features a robust athletic program and offers 14 different sports for middle and high school athletes. 

The school requires their high school students to complete a Fine Arts credit prior to graduating. In addition to classroom instruction, the SouthLake Christian also offers extracurricular activities in Fine Arts, including creative writing competitions, music competitions, and theatre productions.

Additional extracurricular activities and clubs include the National Honor Society, band, math club, yearbook, and student council.

Learn more: SouthLakeChristian.org

SouthLake Christian Academy
13820 Hagers Ferry Road
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 949-2200

Woodlawn School is an independent K-12 school founded in 2002. Woodlawn prides itself on being a forward-thinking, project-based school that challenges its students. 

Their mission: “To produce independent, lifelong learners who are responsible, contributing members of a diverse global society.”

Woodlawn’s 61-acre campus is located just on the outskirts of Davidson, North Carolina. The location of the school makes it very accessible from Huntersville to Mooresville. 

In addition to a rigorous academic program, students at Woodlawn School are taught such life skills as initiative, responsibility, and social awareness. Prior to acceptance into the school, applicants are judged by their previous academic performance and rigorous aptitude assessment.

Woodlawn strives to maintain a diverse student population and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin.

Varsity athletic programs include 14 boys & girls teams across 8 different sports.

Learn more at: WoodlawnSchool.org

Woodlawn School
135 Woodlawn School Loop
Mooresville, NC 28115
Phone: 704-895-8653

Liberty Preparatory Christian Academy is a “University-Model” private school located in Mooresville, North Carolina. Under this model, students learn in-person on campus 3-days per week and then study at home under parental supervision 2-days per week.

Liberty Prep claims this model reduces the overall cost to the student’s family and also promotes caring parenting. 

Liberty Prep offers kindergarten through 12th grade. All classes are held on-campus Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, while at-home course work is held Wednesday and Friday. In addition to academic credits, students are required to complete 100-hours of community service in order to qualify for graduation. 

Liberty Prep has an athletic program that continues to grow in scale every year. Currently, there are 9 sports offered including boys, girls, and coed opportunities.

Other activities available to students at Liberty Prep include bible study, chapel services, service projects, “spirit week,” harvest festival, school dances, field days, and extracurricular clubs. 

Students at Liberty Prep are also encouraged to participate in Arts programs at the school. Such programs include:

• Theatre
• Dance
• Visual Arts
• Music

Learn more at: LibertyPrepNC.com

Liberty Preparatory Christian Academy
229 Midway Lake Road
Mooresville, NC 28115
(704) 660-3933

Saint Mark Catholic School is a fully accredited, co-ed Catholic school. The campus is located in Huntersville, North Carolina, adjacent to Saint Mark Catholic Church. The school offers a rigorous and challenging curriculum for students in grades K-8. 

Class sizes for 3rd through 8th grades are capped at 30 students. All of the teachers at Saint Mark Catholic School are certified by the state of NC and participate in ongoing professional development to renew their licenses.

Students attend all-school masses at church every other week, and the school plans to increase mandatory masses to every Wednesday in the coming school year. Saint Mark is affiliated with the Diocese of Charlotte.

In addition to biblical studies, the school also offers creative opportunities in fine arts such as band, visual arts, music, choir, dance, and musical theatre. Extracurricular clubs at the school include Math Counts, Lego Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Science Olympiad, Student Council, Chess Club, and Yearbook.

Athletic programs at Saint Mark run during the Fall, Winter, and Spring and include competitive middle school sports teams and recreational opportunities. Available competitive sports include World Football, American Football, Basketball, Golf, Tennis, Cross-Country, Volleyball, Baseball, Lacrosse, and Cheerleading.

Learn more at: StMarkCatholicSchool.net

Saint Mark Catholic School
14750 Stumptown Road
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 766-5000

If you’re searching for a private school that’s not on this list, there are other great schools outside of the LKN area you might consider.

Here’s a list of the best private schools that are not far from the Lake Norman area:

Cannon School

Concord, NC

With over 1,000 students enrolled in 2021, Cannon School is one of the Charlotte area’s largest private schools. It’s also one of the most expensive, with tuition for a high school student running over $25,000. 

Despite a larger student body, the school manages to maintain a 9:1 student-teacher ratio.

A big plus here: Cannon School does offer transportation services to the Lake Norman area.

Providence Day School

Charlotte, NC

Providence Day School is considered by many Charlotteans to be the premier private school in the Charlotte area. It also comes with a hefty price tag: tuition for your high-schooler will set you back $28,250.

Providence Day is one of the largest private schools in Charlotte. The 2021 student body totaled over 1,800 students in grades K-12. Still, the school manages to maintain a student-teacher ratio of 8:1.

It will also be quite the commute for you (or your kid’s nanny). Providence Day School does not offer transportation services to the Lake Norman area. The distance to the school from The Peninsula Club in Cornelius is 29.1 miles. There are no known accommodations for helicopters at the school, either.

Charlotte Country Day School

Carmel Road, Charlotte

Charlotte Country Day School is practically a Providence Day School clone. On paper, anyway. Student body size is nearly identical, as is the student-teacher ratio. 

Cost? Well, that’s pretty close at $26,865. I mean, who’s counting after $20k? Distance is also nearly identical from The Peninsula Club at 28.1 miles. Approximately 12 minutes by helicopter.

There are several more private schools to choose from in Charlotte, but they’re even further South than Providence Day School and not worth mentioning in this article. So, if you plan to send your kids to private school and you live in the Lake Norman area, you’d better dust off the old King James Bible or get on the list at Davidson Day School stat! There are also many charter school options in the Lake Norman area, but we’ll save those for another article.

Cheers, Lake Norman!