Royal Oaks Elementary School was established in 1949 and part of the original Winecoff School System.  The school started with seven teachers, and quickly became an accredited school establishing itself as one of the leading elementary schools in the area.  The first principal of Royal Oaks was Robert F. Weaver, who taught part time in addition to serving as principal.

The school was completely rebuilt and reopened in the fall of 2018 as Royal Oaks School of the Arts, proudly serving as the only arts focused school in Cabarrus County Schools.  In addition, ROSA is also the only K-8 school within the Cabarrus County School System.

Royal Oaks has ties to one of the most famous NASCAR drivers of all time.  Dale Earnhardt was once a student at Royal Oaks Elementary!