About Us

Woodland Park Elementary opened its doors to welcome students on August 10, 1987. The school was built to consolidate three former elementary schools that were located in Sparta. Baker Elementary, East Sparta Elementary, and West Sparta Elementary were closed in 1987 and students began attending Woodland Park.

David P. McCulley was named as the first principal of Woodland Park. The first faculty and staff consisted of 63 members. Enrollment for the 1987-1988 school year was 660 students in Kindergarten through sixth grade with two Comprehensive Development classes.

Beginning in the 1997-1998 school year, Woodland Park became a Title I school. All students could receive benefits provided by the Title I program. In this same year, Woodland Park became a Kindergarten through fifth-grade school with the opening of the new White County Middle School that serves grades 6th through 8th.

In 2001, Gary Sparkman was named Woodland Park's second principal. He replaced David P. McCulley who accepted the principal position at White County's new elementary school, Northfield. Gary Sparkman served as principal until his retirement in 2008.

Craig Lynn became Woodland Park's third principal in the 2008-2009 school year. In 2012, he accepted the position of principal at the White County Middle School.

Kim Luna was the fourth principal for Woodland Park from 2012 to 2017. She also served as the assistant principal of Woodland Park from 2010 to 2012.

Dr. Larry Thompson served as Woodland Park's fifth principal during the 2017-2018 school year. Also in 2017, Valarie Butcher joined Woodland Park as the assistant principal. In 2018, Dr. Thompson accepted the position of Special Education Supervisor for White County Schools.

In 2018, Mr. Lane Ward became Woodland Park's sixth principal. The faculty and support staff consist of 82 members. In 2020, Mrs. Amber Mullinax joined Woodland Park as the assistant principal. Enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year is approximately 510 students in Pre-K through 5th grade.

Woodland Park is located at 88 Panther Drive, Sparta, Tennessee on a twenty-three acre sight off of Highway 111. The building is a one-level structure that measures 71,500 square feet. In 1993, four classrooms were added to meet the state guidelines to lower the student/teacher ratio.

Since the beginning, in 1987, Woodland Park has made many changes and improvements. Through the ongoing efforts and dedication of the PTO, community volunteers, parents, teachers, staff, and students we will continue to look ahead and create an environment where each student can feel safe, learn, and excel. Our history is a rich one with many leaders, teachers, staff, and former students who are active in our community. Woodland Park is proud of our past and looks forward to a bright future for our faculty, staff, students, and community.