Best Public Schools in Rocky Point, NC

Rocky Point, North Carolina is served by five public schools within Pender County Schools, spanning elementary through high school and an alternative program, with nearly all students facing high poverty. These schools share similar economic challenges, but academic outcomes vary significantly. Rocky Point Elementary remains the strongest overall school, ranking in the 47th percentile statewide for 2025–26, though it slipped from the 65th percentile the prior year. Its 5th grade math proficiency of 72.6% and reading of 58.1% both beat state averages. By contrast, Cape Fear Elementary posts markedly lower reading and math scores—40.2% in 5th grade reading—but stands out in science at 73.5% proficiency and has the area’s lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 20.3%.

At the middle and high school levels, Cape Fear Middle shows a notable strength in 8th grade math, with 61.3% proficiency that beats the state’s 53.0%, even though its overall ranking is only in the 38th percentile. Heide Trask High graduates 92.0% of students, above the state average of 88.8%, but its end-of-course exam proficiency is well below state levels—especially Math I at 26.8% versus 42.1% statewide. The school’s student–teacher ratio of 21.8 is the highest in the district, and its ranking has hovered near the bottom for two straight years. Meanwhile, Pender Innovative Learning Academy is an alternative school serving just 38 students, with a 51.7% chronic absenteeism rate and far lower test scores; its small size makes it difficult to compare directly with the traditional schools.

Across the district, four schools have nearly 99% free/reduced lunch eligibility, showing that poverty is essentially universal. Despite that, Rocky Point Elementary outperforms Cape Fear Elementary in most subjects, which suggests school-level factors matter. However, Rocky Point Elementary’s math scores fell sharply from 2024–25 to 2025–26, while Heide Trask High improved in every tested subject. The clearest concern is the gap between high school graduation rates and low academic proficiency, meaning many students are earning diplomas without reaching state standards.