Laughlin School began in January 1866 as a Sabbath School at Peace Church. In 1934, Summerfield Colored School opened with 5 teachers and 190 students. It was later renamed Laughlin School in honor of its first principal, Duella Laughlin. Area high schools consolidated in 1962, and Laughlin joined them in 1965. It then served as an elementary school until 2011, when Guilford County Schools repurposed it as a professional development center.