High Schools in Moore County Schools

Moore County Schools in North Carolina serves four high school–level schools — Pinecrest High, Union Pines High, North Moore High, and The Community Learning Center @ Pinckney — spanning grades 6–12 for the alternative center and 9–12 for the traditional comprehensive high schools in the Southern Pines, Cameron, Robbins, and Carthage areas.

Among the traditional high schools, Pinecrest High is the largest and strongest all-around performer, ranking 235th out of 662 schools statewide with the district’s highest Biology (73.7%), English II (75.9%), and Math III (73.2%) proficiency, plus a 92.1% graduation rate. Union Pines High is the clear math leader — posting a 54.5% Math I proficiency, the best in Moore County — while also having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (17.6%) and lowest free/reduced lunch percentage (31.7%) among the group. North Moore High is the smallest traditional school and serves a student body where 99.3% qualify for free/reduced lunch, yet it boasts the highest graduation rate in the district at 93.5% and produced dramatic year-over-year gains in Biology (+29.6 points) and Math I (+16.1 points). By contrast, The Community Learning Center @ Pinckney is a high-need alternative school with just 77 students, a 74.4% chronic absenteeism rate, and extremely low proficiency — 13.3% in English II and 9.1% in 8th-grade subjects — despite spending $20,280 per student and maintaining a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio.

Parents should note that Moore County’s traditional high schools generally outperform state averages in Biology and English II, but Math I is a district-wide weak spot, with proficiency below 55% at every comprehensive school. More spending per student does not correlate with higher test scores in this district; Pinecrest spends the least ($7,767) yet posts the strongest academic results, while CLC spends the most by far and struggles the most, largely due to severe attendance challenges. Overall, the district ranks in the 74th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating, making it a solid choice — but families should view CLC through a specialized lens, as its alternative mission and high-need population make direct comparisons to traditional high schools misleading.