Established in 2006, Ardrey Kell High School was built in the growing Ballantyne area of Charlotte.

[2] Ardrey Kell was named after two prominent local families in the area known as "Lower Providence" in southern Mecklenburg County.

[3] Both families have served the community as farmers, physicians, educators, politicians and church leaders.

During the 19th century, the Ardrey family owned a sizable cotton plantation in the southern part of Mecklenburg County.

A member of the family, Captain William E. Ardrey, served in the Confederate Army and was described by a Charlotte News article, dated August 14, 1916, as "One of the leading citizens of Mecklenburg County."