White Rock North School-About Us

school sign

About Us

Mr. and Mrs. John Adams

The Story of White Rock North School

John and Mary Adams, both veteran teachers, married during their public school careers. Unaware that it was against district policy for spouses to work in the same school or district, they were surprised when their principal asked which of them would like to resign their contracts! Mrs. Adams, who had always wanted to launch her own private school, decided that she would issue her resignation. She wanted the freedom to teach the way each child learned and to stay true to traditional education principles, which were falling out of fashion at that time in the local public school districts. Her goals were to aggressively challenge her students’ minds and bolster their self-images. From these hopes came the school’s first motto: “Learning today. Leading tomorrow.”

White Rock North School opened in 1964 and graduated 12 students its first year. Through the years, White Rock North has expanded one small project at a time. As one of their early projects, for example, Mr. and Mrs. Adams decided that a horse would be a great addition to their school concept. The students have enjoyed petting and caring for the school’s horse ever since! A swimming pool was one of their next projects and, slowly, they saved enough funds to build a large pool on the school grounds. Parents have found that the swimming lessons offered by the school, on-site, are convenient and a great supplement to White Rock North’s physical education program.

As White Rock North continued to grow during the 1970s, the school added a skating rink in 1978. Students continue to skate as part of White Rock North’s physical education program. The spacious rink is also used as a gymnasium and is the location for various pageants and programs held throughout the year.
With so much progress being made in the community, an arson fire in 1979 was not something Mr. and Mrs. Adams ever anticipated. During that event, the original school building was lost. Mr. and Mrs. Adams soon began rebuilding by constructing what is now known as the main building.

Mr. and Mrs. Adams’ own daughter, Amy, attended White Rock North during the early years. In 1993, Amy joined the school ranks as an administrator. Early in 1995, Amy began the process to earn accreditation for the school. This desire promoted another step of growth, and, in 1996, White Rock North was recognized by the Texas Education Agency (T.E.A.) and received its first accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (S.A.C.S.).

White Rock North continued to expand after receiving its accreditation. Mr. and Mrs. Adams began building a new wing, strictly for kindergarten through sixth grade. This project took a year-and-a-half to complete, and the new addition opened in 1998.

Over the next several years, Mr. and Mrs. Adams noticed that visits from new mothers were becoming more frequent. They began conceptualizing an infant program to serve the needs of the many young families in the area. The “Corner Cottage Infant Center” opened in 2003 and has earned much praise from parents.

White Rock North School has proudly educated thousands of children since it opened. Many of these children have enrolled their own children in White Rock North School. The Adams family is both excited and gratified to know that so many prior students want to give their children the unique experiences they themselves had as students at White Rock North School.

We welcome your visit to White Rock North School. We hope that, upon entering, you will experience the feelings of openness, safety and stability that our families have come to expect.

John Adams, The Cowboy as he was affectionately known by the students, passed away in 2008. Mary Adams continues to uphold the legacy of White Rock North School, and after 45 years is still "Educating the Leaders of Tomorrow."