A One-of-a-Kind Learning Experience
The Asheboro High School Zoo School is an innovative academic program located at the world-renowned North Carolina Zoo. It's one of only five known Zoo Schools in the nation.
Established in 2007 as a small learning community, the Zoo School was created to provide students with a distinctive, hands-on academic experience while completing their required coursework.
A Growing Program
- 2007-2015: Available to 10th-12th grade students
- Since 2015: Expanded to include grades 9-12 with the addition of the Agriculture program; Established Asheboro Zoo FFA Chapter
- Since 2023: Home to exclusive honors-level science and agriculture courses offered only at the Zoo School campus
Students may participate for one semester or the full academic year. Transportation is flexible; students may ride a school bus or drive themselves.
What Makes Zoo School Unique?
Zoo School is a rigorous academic program that uses the NC Zoo as a resource for place-based learning.
Students take at least two classes daily at the Zoo School campus where they engage in immersive, real-world learning in:
- Zoology
- Animal Behavior
- NC Wildlife
- Animal Science
- Horticulture
- Natural Resources
- Additional specialized science and agriculture courses
These courses are uniquely offered at the Zoo School campus and provide opportunities that cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom setting.
An Immerse Academic Environment
Learning at the Zoo School is active, collaborative, and inquiry-driven. Students:
- Have access to guest speakers and conservation professionals
- Have horticulture experience, including greenhouse access
- Engage in hands-on projects
- Work in collaborative teams
- Use technology-based tools for research and presentation
The NC Zoo's 2,600-acre natural environment serves as a powerful resource for place-based learning, allowing students to connect classroom concepts to authentic, meaningful applications.
Innovation. Exploration. Impact.
The Asheboro High School Zoo School stands as a model of innovative education where rigorous academics meet authentic, place-based experiences with one of North Carolina's greatest natural resources.