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Sherrills Ford, NC · Opening 2026

Small School, Big Belonging.

The proven 3 Oaks model is coming to the Lake Norman area in 2026 — small groups, hands-on learning, and a warm, tight-knit community where students who learn differently are finally known, understood, and free to thrive.

Life at 3 Oaks · NC

A New Campus, the Same Proven Model

When our doors open in Sherrills Ford in 2026, students will step into the same education that has worked in Estero since 2018 — built for how each child actually learns. Classes will be small and personal, the pace will bend to the student, and the spaces will be built for flexibility, not conformity.

Set in the Lake Norman area, our North Carolina campus pairs that proven model with the outdoors of the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge foothills — room to explore, learn by doing, and grow. Our founding families won't just enroll in a school; they'll help shape one.

Everything that makes Estero special is making the trip north: the small classes, the flexible spaces, the teachers who learn each child's name and story, and the Week Without Walls program the whole school takes part in. What's new is the chance to be part of it from the very first day.

A look inside

School Life in Pictures

Our Sherrills Ford doors open in 2026, so these photos come from our established Estero campus — but they show exactly the kind of day, the kind of spaces, and the kind of community coming to North Carolina.

Students presenting at the classroom smartboard

Students working together at a learning table

A teacher reading with a small group in the library

Students reading together in the library nook

A student showing off a project she built

Students with a bubbling science experiment

More than a classroom

Beyond the Desk

Learning at 3 Oaks won't stop at the classroom door. From day one, our North Carolina students will share in the same experiences — on campus and far beyond it — that make a 3 Oaks education unforgettable.

Week Without Walls

Once a year the entire school leaves the building and learns somewhere new — mountains, coastlines, working harbors. Students trade desks for the real world, build independence, and come home changed. Our NC students will travel right alongside the rest of the school. Explore it →

STEAM & the Arts

Science, technology, engineering, art, and music aren't squeezed into the margins — they're woven through the week. Students build, code, paint, perform, and experiment, uncovering strengths and confidence that a worksheet would never reveal.

Lake & Outdoors

The Lake Norman area and the Blue Ridge foothills become an extension of the classroom — water, trails, and open sky for outdoor learning, movement, and hands-on science right in our backyard.

A Founding Community

Our first North Carolina families won't just enroll — they'll help write the traditions, shape the culture, and build the tight-knit community that will define 3 Oaks Sherrills Ford for years to come.

Good to know

Sherrills Ford at a Glance

The essentials for our founding North Carolina families.

2026Opening · now enrolling 2026–27

9:1Student-to-teacher ratio

K–12The full 3 Oaks model

Lake Norman8057 Island Point Rd, Sherrills Ford

Be part of the beginning

Join Our Founding NC Class

Being first means something here. Founding families help shape the traditions, the culture, and the community that every future student will inherit. Reserve your child's place in the very first class at 3 Oaks Sherrills Ford — and help build something lasting.

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