Best Public Schools in Spring Lake, NC

The city of Spring Lake, North Carolina is served by seven schools — four elementary, two middle, and one high — enrolling about 5,226 students across three districts: Harnett County Schools, Cumberland County Schools, and Anderson Creek Academy. The most recent 2025-2026 test data reveal striking contrasts within this community, from an elite elementary school to several schools struggling in the bottom quarter of the state.

Anderson Creek Academy is the clear standout: it ranks in the 94th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools with a 5-star rating, and its district ranks 11th of 246 statewide. Its proficiency rates are exceptional — 5th-grade reading is 88.4% versus 55.3% statewide, while 5th-grade science is 93% versus 67.7% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is just 15.2%, well below the state average of 24.2%. Overhills Elementary is the strongest traditional public school, improving from the 44th to the 57th percentile in a single year and scoring above the Harnett County Schools average on every test. Overhills High also improved in all four end-of-course subjects, rising from the 27th to the 32nd percentile, and posts a graduation rate of 87.4% — though its 32.2% chronic absenteeism rate remains well above the state average.

The schools most in need of attention are Spring Lake Middle (18th percentile), Overhills Middle (23rd percentile), and William T Brown Elementary (25th percentile), all ranking in the bottom quarter of North Carolina schools. These challenges track with concentrated poverty: the three Cumberland County Schools campuses in Spring Lake — William T Brown, Spring Lake Middle, and Manchester Elementary — enroll student bodies that are roughly 99% free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism at William T Brown and Spring Lake Middle exceeds 45%, nearly double the state rate. Middle school is the weakest link overall; average proficiency at the two middle schools is just 41-44%, suggesting a sharp academic drop-off after elementary school. The clearest opportunities lie in attendance recovery, stronger middle-school support, and replicating the approach that has driven Overhills Elementary's rapid reading gains.