The first "Rosewood" school was constructed in 1905, at the site of the present day Eagle's Nest and surrounding shopping center.

This building, a joint venture between Pine Forest and Applejack, became the first consolidated school in Wayne County.

Every morning the boys would go out and cut wood; but when it was warmer and spring began, the teen-age 'hangout' was the old pump-house."

In 1884 or 1885, Pearson House and Spring Hill, two smaller schools, consolidated to form the Applejack schoolhouse.

The school was equipped with steam heat (which is still used to this day), electric lights, and running water.

In addition, the 1922–23 Rosewood school also had baseball, basketball, tennis, and track teams.

Shortly after the construction of this building, both Antioch and Oakland consolidated with Rosewood, thereby increasing its enrollment to an estimated 360 pupils, with 12 teachers in all.

Therefore, he enacted fund raisers to raise enough money to build the larger size gym, which is still present to this day.

Rosewood High School competes in the Carolina 1-A Conference and fields athletic teams in 18 sports including football, tennis, cross country, soccer, wrestling, track, golf, basketball, baseball, cheerleading, and softball among others.