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Cape Fear High

Q: Is Cape Fear High a good school?

Cape Fear High ranks 278 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

278^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 58% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Cape Fear High in Fayetteville, NC, is a large traditional public high school serving about 1,515 students in grades 9–12 as part of Cumberland County Schools. The school currently holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 58th percentile of North Carolina high schools, placing it solidly above its district's overall standing and making it the strongest of the four large nearby traditional high schools.

Parents will find that Cape Fear's standout academic strength is mathematics. In Math I and Math III, proficiency rates run roughly 10 to 12 points above state averages, and the school beats several neighboring schools by very large margins. English II performance is also above average, and the graduation rate of 90.7% consistently exceeds both district and state rates. Compared with nearby South View High, Terry Sanford High, and E E Smith High, Cape Fear is clearly ahead in math, reading, and overall state ranking, even while serving a student body where about 55% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The school also earns strong subgroup results for Hispanic and African American students compared with similar schools statewide.

The school's most pressing challenge is attendance: its chronic absenteeism rate is 47.0%, roughly double the state rate and a significant concern despite high graduation numbers. Biology is also a relative weak spot, being the only tested subject where Cape Fear trails the state average, though it still outperforms most neighboring traditional high schools. Special education results have also dropped in recent years after a strong prior showing. If the school can improve attendance and strengthen science instruction, it has the potential to move from the upper-middle tier into a higher statewide ranking.

1,515

Students ?

23.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,895

Per pupil spending ?

55.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

4762 Clinton Road
Fayetteville, NC 28312-8976

(910) 483-0191

District: Cumberland County Schools

Feeder schools for Cape Fear High:

Elementary:	Armstrong Elementary
	Beaver Dam Elementary
	District No 7 Elementary
	Eastover-Central Elementary
	More...
	J W Seabrook Elementary
	Stedman Elementary
	Stedman Primary
	Sunnyside Elementary
Middle:	Mac Williams Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.1%

African American:

26.8%

Hispanic:

13.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Cape Fear High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 65th percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (47% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg60%

278^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 11High Schools in the Cumberland County Schools

141^st of 246Cumberland 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
2026	56.2	278 of 662	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.5	230 of 641	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	252 of 640	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	269 of 626	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.9	259 of 621	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.4	430 of 594	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.9	158 of 514	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.2	163 of 469	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.1	136 of 476	71.4%	★★★★☆
2016	47.6	178 of 507	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.7	170 of 531	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.8	132 of 451	70.7%	★★★★☆
2013	53.2	128 of 505	74.7%	★★★★☆
2012	63.0	119 of 502	76.3%	★★★★☆
2011	65.5	126 of 506	75.1%	★★★★☆
2010	66.7	110 of 499	78.0%	★★★★☆
2009	70.1	71 of 490	85.5%	★★★★☆
2008	69.3	75 of 477	84.3%	★★★★☆
2007	64.8	106 of 453	76.6%	★★★★☆
2006	64.6	117 of 431	72.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.9	138 of 450	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.8	116 of 440	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	54.3	143 of 437	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.7	134 of 434	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	143 of 430	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.4	229 of 364	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.0	76 of 369	79.4%	★★★★☆
2018	53.1	117 of 359	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	54.8	98 of 330	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	29.1	247 of 334	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.4	63 of 364	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	58.7	94 of 349	73.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.1	43 of 289	85.1%	★★★★☆
2025	26.1	228 of 273	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	77.2	24 of 262	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	68.3	21 of 173	87.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.1	230 of 629	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.3	200 of 610	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	215 of 602	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	233 of 588	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.7	232 of 594	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.8	329 of 475	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.7	180 of 475	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.9	191 of 449	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	167 of 407	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.6	149 of 412	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.5	153 of 403	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.3	230 of 403	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	68.2	126 of 398	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	10.3	316 of 337	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	64.4	106 of 325	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.3	139 of 474	70.7%	★★★★☆
2025	64.2	125 of 462	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	76.3	93 of 454	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	63.0	121 of 449	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	115 of 436	73.6%	★★★★☆
2021	37.1	203 of 370	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.5	75 of 354	78.8%	★★★★☆
2018	67.1	60 of 340	82.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	222 of 620	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.6	191 of 606	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	213 of 613	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.1	218 of 597	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	185 of 544	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.4	233 of 432	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.8	91 of 446	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.0	95 of 424	77.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	311 of 624	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.7	250 of 601	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	286 of 607	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	285 of 602	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	261 of 585	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.3	334 of 481	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.0	141 of 488	71.1%	★★★★☆
2018	55.8	171 of 463	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.4	35 of 70	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.2	17 of 53	67.9%	★★★★☆
2024	57.0	21 of 49	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	22 of 48	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.7	18 of 47	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.1	28 of 41	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.6	8 of 33	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	50.7	14 of 32	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	95 of 265	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.5	95 of 253	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.8	46 of 261	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	34 of 249	86.3%	★★★★☆
2022	66.4	54 of 226	76.1%	★★★★☆
2021	28.8	149 of 199	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	78.9	30 of 195	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	63 of 185	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	41.2	8 of 15	46.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.9	4 of 15	73.3%	★★★★☆
2021	45.2	4 of 13	69.2%	★★★★☆
2019	76.1	2 of 17	88.2%	★★★★★
2018	40.3	11 of 16	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	203 of 372	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.1	196 of 352	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.6	66 of 349	81.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.8	274 of 551	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.1	226 of 542	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.9	250 of 553	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	252 of 537	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.7	229 of 534	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.8	347 of 439	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.0	176 of 444	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.8	194 of 427	54.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)85th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2026)71st percentile+13 vs school

Disabled (2022)70th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2026)69th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile+6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)64th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)63rd percentile+5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)59th percentile~ school

White (2026)50th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile-8 vs school

Military Connected (2026)50th percentile-8 vs school

Native American (2024)47th percentile-14 vs school

Special Education (2026)45th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III78%+9 vs state

English II67%~ state avg

Biology56%~ state avg

Math I55%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cape Fear High

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cape Fear High	Public	9-12	4762 Clinton Road	Fayetteville	28312	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 483-0191	1,515	65	23.2	55.1%	699 (46.1%)	406 (26.8%)	210 (13.9%)	19 (1.3%)	41 (2.7%)	7 (0.5%)	133 (8.8%)	56.2	278^th of 662 public high schools	58.0%		59.5	230^th of 641 public high schools	64.1%	48	56.3	66.8	54.6	77.8								$8,895	$990	$7,905
Cumberland Virtual Academy 6-12	Public, Virtual	6-12	800 North Street	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(910) 500-7985	390	26	15.2	62.6%	94 (24.1%)	173 (44.4%)	77 (19.7%)	8 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (9.2%)	33	456^th of 662 public high schools	31.1%		28	473^rd of 641 public high schools	26.2%	17	44.4	62.5	30.6	61.1	57.1	57.9	50.0	68.6	65.8	69.0	70.7
Massey Hill Classical High	Public	9-12	1062 Southern Avenue	Fayetteville	28306	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 485-8761	273	19	14.3	39.6%	127 (46.5%)	48 (17.6%)	58 (21.2%)	7 (2.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.4%)	87.6	94^th of 662 public high schools	85.8%		89.4	84^th of 641 public high schools	86.9%	10	91.5	86.2	79.4	93.3								$11,273	$981	$10,292
Ramsey Street High	Public	9-12	117 Quincy St	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 437-5829	39	9	4.3	56.4%	6 (15.4%)	26 (66.7%)	1 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (10.3%)	4.6	632^nd of 662 public high schools	4.5%		8.1	606^th of 641 public high schools	5.5%	26	21.7	28.9	6.7	26.9								$25,524	$4,088	$21,436
Cross Creek Early College	Public	9-12	1200 Murchison Road	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 500-7551	253	11	23.7	47.0%	40 (15.8%)	115 (45.5%)	51 (20.2%)	14 (5.5%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	27 (10.7%)	91.9	54^th of 662 public high schools	91.8%		95.8	10^th of 641 public high schools	98.4%	44	96.8	88.2	96.1	563.1								$7,352	$641	$6,711
Cumberland International Early College	Public	9-12	1200 Murchison Rd	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 226-6485	237	8	28.1	57.4%	37 (15.6%)	127 (53.6%)	44 (18.6%)	10 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	17 (7.2%)	92	51^st of 662 public high schools	92.3%		93.9	36^th of 641 public high schools	94.4%	15	360.7	98.5	86.2	96.2								$7,428	$562	$6,866
Reid Ross Classical High	Public	9-12	3200 Ramsey Street	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 488-8415	227	16	14.2	—	29 (12.8%)	155 (68.3%)	25 (11.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.0%)	64.7	223^rd of 662 public high schools	66.3%		55.7	258^th of 641 public high schools	59.8%	35	68.2	82.0	43.4	83.7								$15,566	$1,451	$14,115
E E Smith High	Public	9-12	1800 Seabrook Road	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 483-0153	1,017	44	22.8	—	98 (9.6%)	660 (64.9%)	166 (16.3%)	7 (0.7%)	10 (1.0%)	5 (0.5%)	71 (7.0%)	36.1	433^rd of 662 public high schools	34.6%		31.9	434^th of 641 public high schools	32.3%	1	55.8	51.8	41.4	59.4								$10,706	$1,987	$8,720
Terry Sanford High	Public	9-12	2301 Fort Bragg Road	Fayetteville	28303	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 484-1151	1,201	50	23.9	64.4%	312 (26.0%)	562 (46.8%)	159 (13.2%)	47 (3.9%)	14 (1.2%)	6 (0.5%)	101 (8.4%)	35.5	436^th of 662 public high schools	34.1%		36.5	401^st of 641 public high schools	37.4%	35	43.2	55.9	36.3	69.1								$8,493	$714	$7,779
Cumberland Polytechnic	Public	9-12	220 Hull Rd	Fayetteville	28303	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 486-7300	319	9	34.2	40.4%	116 (36.4%)	112 (35.1%)	47 (14.7%)	8 (2.5%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	31 (9.7%)	94.3	13^th of 662 public high schools	98.0%		93.8	40^th of 641 public high schools	93.8%	27	100.0	100.0	97.7	98.8								$8,770	$513	$8,257

Frequently Asked Questions about Cape Fear High

What schools feed into Cape Fear High?

Cape Fear High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Armstrong Elementary
Elementary : Beaver Dam Elementary
Elementary : District No 7 Elementary
Elementary : Eastover-Central Elementary
Elementary : J W Seabrook Elementary
Elementary : Stedman Elementary
Elementary : Stedman Primary
Elementary : Sunnyside Elementary
Middle : Mac Williams Middle

Is Cape Fear High a good school?

Cape Fear High ranks 278^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Cape Fear High in?

Cumberland County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Cape Fear High?

Students at Cape Fear High are 46% White, 27% African American, 14% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Cape Fear High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,515 students attended Cape Fear High.

Rate Cape Fear High!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.