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Cape Fear Elementary

Q: Is Cape Fear Elementary a good school?

Cape Fear Elementary ranks 1088 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1088^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Cape Fear Elementary is a public elementary school in Rocky Point, North Carolina, serving 543 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Pender County Schools district, which is ranked 115 out of 242 districts in the state.

Cape Fear Elementary faces significant challenges in academic performance, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools over the past 10 years, with proficiency rates on state assessments that are significantly lower than the Pender County Schools district and the state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in EOG/Mathematics ranged from 42.1% to 60.7% at Cape Fear Elementary, compared to 63.2% to 67.8% for the Pender County Schools district and 58.9% to 64.1% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in reading, with proficiency rates ranging from 30.8% to 42.9%, compared to 43.9% to 61.2% for the Pender County Schools district and 46.7% to 58.1% for the state.

Interestingly, Cape Fear Elementary's academic performance is significantly lower than the nearby schools in the Pender County Schools district, such as C.F. Pope Elementary and Malpass Corner Elementary, as well as the schools in the neighboring New Hanover County Schools district. For example, Rocky Point Elementary, which is only 2.72 miles away from Cape Fear Elementary, consistently outperforms Cape Fear Elementary on state assessments, with proficiency rates ranging from 40.6% to 91.2% in the 2024-2025 school year.

533

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,210

Per pupil spending ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1882 NC Hwy 133
Rocky Point, NC 28457

(910) 602-3767

District: Pender County Schools

Students who attend Cape Fear Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cape Fear Middle
High:	Heide Trask High
	Pender Early College High

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.8%

Hispanic:

30.8%

African American:

8.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Cape Fear Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (46% vs 57% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2015

!Reading scores 16 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg57%

1,088^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 25 pts since 2015

From top 48% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Pender County Schools

115^th of 242Pender County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	1088 of 1490	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.3	1042 of 1505	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	1057 of 1502	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.1	1110 of 1514	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.3	760 of 1489	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.7	661 of 1473	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.9	710 of 1434	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	71.6	379 of 1429	73.5%	★★★★☆
2016	64.1	492 of 1425	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.3	697 of 1440	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	26.0	1071 of 1390	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.6	1143 of 1403	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.6	932 of 1388	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.1	757 of 1381	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	65.1	505 of 1363	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.9	576 of 1354	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.1	618 of 1324	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.5	414 of 1293	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	52.2	682 of 1276	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.7	804 of 927	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.4	263 of 949	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	36.5	623 of 927	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	43.2	474 of 878	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.4	729 of 897	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	365 of 563	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.4	456 of 533	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	504 of 514	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	47.7	215 of 485	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.7	200 of 385	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	271 of 497	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	976 of 1451	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.7	1046 of 1455	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	1187 of 1459	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	1128 of 1458	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	48.9	698 of 1440	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.4	691 of 1424	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.2	457 of 1405	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	54.6	306 of 500	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.6	332 of 494	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	776 of 961	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.2	700 of 951	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.8	609 of 915	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.6	738 of 893	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	52.2	342 of 843	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.2	334 of 865	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	460 of 851	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	1074 of 1437	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.6	955 of 1450	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.1	943 of 1437	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	718 of 1366	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.4	430 of 1329	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.4	276 of 1361	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	61.8	456 of 1332	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	1116 of 1450	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.8	975 of 1464	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.6	877 of 1461	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	1019 of 1464	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	803 of 1444	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.0	622 of 1430	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.2	927 of 1413	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	29.3	629 of 821	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.7	1031 of 1172	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	1052 of 1166	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	1030 of 1183	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	1049 of 1194	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	834 of 1172	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.1	835 of 1183	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.8	744 of 1178	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2019)46th percentile-9 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2022)39th percentile+12 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)35th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)33rd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)25th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)19th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2022)13th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)12th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science60%~ state avg

Mathematics51%-9 vs state

Reading36%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cape Fear Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cape Fear Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1882 NC Hwy 133	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 602-3767	533	37	14.4	99.4%	287 (53.8%)	46 (8.6%)	164 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.2%)	30.2	1088^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.0%		33.3	1042^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	30.8%	46	47.4	60.7	42.1	30.8	42.9	32.9				60.5		$10,210	$1,054	$9,156
Rocky Point Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	255 Elementary School Road	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 675-2309	403	29	13.7	99.3%	145 (36.0%)	55 (13.6%)	189 (46.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	62.5	522^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	65.0%		59.2	598^th of 1505 public elementary schools	60.3%	76	68.8	68.3	78.5	40.6	55.6	50.8				72.3		$11,562	$1,485	$10,077
Castle Hayne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3925 Roger Haynes Drive	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 602-4970	531	37	14.5	99.4%	261 (49.2%)	101 (19.0%)	121 (22.8%)	6 (1.1%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.0%)	70	396^th of 1490 public elementary schools	73.4%		72.6	364^th of 1505 public elementary schools	75.8%	32	73.4	65.9	74.4	43.0	67.1	59.8				72.0		$10,690	$1,150	$9,540
Wrightsboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2716 Castle Hayne Rd	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 815-6909	502	34	14.8	98.4%	123 (24.5%)	117 (23.3%)	216 (43.0%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (7.8%)	22.6	1227^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.7%		23.8	1214^th of 1505 public elementary schools	19.3%	13	36.6	39.7	56.8	18.3	37.0	40.5				58.1		$11,562	$1,800	$9,762
Murrayville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Mabee Way	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 790-5067	573	40	14.2	99.5%	297 (51.8%)	79 (13.8%)	129 (22.5%)	27 (4.7%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (6.3%)	66.6	454^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.5%		78.7	269^th of 1505 public elementary schools	82.1%	185	64.5	67.0	71.8	50.5	68.0	51.8				69.4		$9,901	$832	$9,069
C.F. Pope Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 North Wright Street	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 259-0145	530	33	16.1	97.7%	189 (35.7%)	181 (34.2%)	103 (19.4%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	48 (9.1%)	13.9	1365^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.4%		15.3	1358^th of 1505 public elementary schools	9.8%	7	38.2	42.7	36.8	20.6	46.7	32.2				33.3		$9,705	$1,200	$8,505
Malpass Corner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4992 Malpass Corner Road	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 283-5889	513	29	17.5	98.1%	188 (36.6%)	135 (26.3%)	159 (31.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.5%)	18.7	1302^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	12.6%		18.2	1308^th of 1505 public elementary schools	13.1%	6	32.1	44.6	58.6	16.0	34.2	35.7				47.1		$11,511	$1,863	$9,647
Dr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary	Public	K-5	6701 Gordon Road	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 397-1544	461	32	14.2	30.4%	342 (74.2%)	31 (6.7%)	39 (8.5%)	13 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.2%)	91.7	86^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%		91.1	100^th of 1505 public elementary schools	93.4%	14	84.3	91.2	87.7	72.9	77.9	67.7				83.1		$10,965	$754	$10,211
D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy	Public	K-8	813 Nixon Street	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 251-6150	162	7	30.3	94.4%	6 (3.7%)	146 (90.1%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.7%)	1	1489^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.1%		1.1	1504^th of 1505 public elementary schools	0.1%	15	8.3	6.7			20.0	12.5	16.7	14.3	33.3		33.3
R Freeman School of Engineering	Public, Magnet	K-5	2601 Princess Place Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 251-6011	241	22	10.8	98.8%	7 (2.9%)	170 (70.5%)	44 (18.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.5%)	1.1	1488^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.1%		1.1	1503^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	0.1%	15	16.7	15.0	12.8	5.6	17.5	10.3				25.6		$16,676	$2,332	$14,344

Frequently Asked Questions about Cape Fear Elementary

What district is Cape Fear Elementary in?

Pender County Schools

Is Cape Fear Elementary a good school?

Cape Fear Elementary ranks 1088^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Cape Fear Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 533 students attended Cape Fear Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cape Fear Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cape Fear Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cape Fear Middle
High : Heide Trask High
High : Pender Early College High

What is the racial makeup of Cape Fear Elementary?

Students at Cape Fear Elementary are 54% White, 31% Hispanic, 9% African American, 6% Two or more races.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.