Summary:
This summary covers a single school, Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, a K-8 school in Wilmington, NC, serving 395 students as part of the same-named Cape Fear Center for Inquiry district, which earned a strong district-level ranking of 30th out of 246 North Carolina districts (88th percentile, 4 stars). Because this dataset includes only one school, the most meaningful comparisons are against North Carolina state averages and the school's own performance over recent years.
Cape Fear Center for Inquiry has consistently earned 4-star ratings and exceeds state proficiency averages in nearly every grade and subject. In 2025-26, the school's combined proficiency across math, reading, and science was 68.7%, compared with the state average of 59.4%. Science stands out as a major strength, particularly in 8th grade, where 91.5% of students scored proficient versus 68.6% statewide. Reading is also strong, especially in middle grades: 7th grade reading reached 73.9% proficiency compared with 56.3% statewide. However, the school's rank dipped from the 79th percentile in 2024-25 to the 70th percentile in 2025-26 — not because its own scores fell (they held steady at roughly 68.6%), but because the state average improved and narrowed the gap. One area to watch is 3rd grade math, which at 58.1% fell below the state's 66.4%.
Beyond test scores, Cape Fear Center for Inquiry reports a very low chronic absenteeism rate of 7.8%, versus the state's 24.2%, and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.1:1 — both factors that likely support consistent learning. The school's K-8 structure may provide instructional continuity that benefits upper-grade reading and science achievement. Free and reduced lunch data was not reported, which limits some socioeconomic context, but the overall picture is of a high-performing school with stable outcomes, exceptional science results, and particular strength in middle school reading.
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