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Mary McArthur Elementary

Q: Is Mary McArthur Elementary a good school?

Mary McArthur Elementary ranks 1036 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1036^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Mary McArthur Elementary is a Pre-K–5 school in Fayetteville, NC, serving 447 students in the Cumberland County Schools district. The student body is very high-poverty, with about 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. In the latest state ranking, the school placed at the 31st percentile (2 stars), a step back from the previous three years, when it consistently ranked in the 36th–40th percentile range. Still, the longer trend is positive: from 2016-17 through 2020-21, the school was mostly 1-star, so current results represent meaningful improvement.

The most useful way to understand Mary McArthur is to compare it with nearby schools, since nearly all serve similarly high-poverty populations yet produce very different results. Vanstory Hills Elementary, for example, has an even higher poverty rate but posts results in the 74th percentile statewide. Mary McArthur's strongest subject is 4th grade reading, where 59.1% of students scored proficient in the latest year — above both district and state averages. Fifth grade science has also been a relative bright spot, with proficiency near or above state averages in recent years. The clearest concern is 5th grade reading and math: proficiency in the latest year was just 40.0% and 41.5%, well below district and state levels. Several lower-ranked nearby schools, including Elizabeth M Cashwell Elementary and Cumberland Mills Elementary, outperformed Mary McArthur in 5th grade reading, suggesting this gap is not simply about poverty.

Encouragingly, several student groups perform better than the school's overall ranking suggests. Hispanic students have posted well-above-average results compared with similar students statewide, and special education outcomes climbed from the 14th to the 52nd percentile in two years. Low-income and African American students also score near their statewide comparison-group medians, and chronic absenteeism has dropped from 41.3% in 2020-21 to 28.5% in the latest year — below the district average. For parents, Mary McArthur offers genuine strengths in early-grade reading and science, meaningful gains for specific student groups, and improving attendance — but a persistent 5th grade literacy and math gap is worth asking about.

447

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3809 Village Drive
Fayetteville, NC 28304-1532

(910) 424-2206

District: Cumberland County Schools

Students who attend Mary McArthur Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Douglas Byrd Middle
High:	Douglas Byrd High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.8%

Hispanic:

17.4%

White:

16.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Mary McArthur Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 34th percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (51% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg57%

North Carolina avg61%

1,036^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	33.5	1036 of 1492	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.9	901 of 1490	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.9	914 of 1505	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.6	901 of 1502	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.4	962 of 1514	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	14.2	1326 of 1489	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	1246 of 1473	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	1171 of 1434	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.8	1062 of 1429	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.0	937 of 1425	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.7	1180 of 1440	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.8	955 of 1390	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.7	911 of 1403	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.1	845 of 1388	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	25.1	1132 of 1381	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.0	1045 of 1363	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.3	1025 of 1354	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	39.1	881 of 1324	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	45.3	816 of 1293	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	37.9	901 of 1276	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.5	494 of 903	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.2	494 of 918	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	470 of 924	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.2	376 of 933	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.0	291 of 927	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.5	674 of 896	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.3	451 of 949	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.9	348 of 927	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	30.6	457 of 634	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	586 of 646	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	869 of 878	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	49.0	389 of 897	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	896 of 1447	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.8	719 of 1451	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.7	770 of 1455	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.3	810 of 1459	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	844 of 1458	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.1	1228 of 1440	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	1178 of 1424	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.6	1128 of 1405	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	567 of 743	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	350 of 981	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	89.5	48 of 961	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	70.1	200 of 951	79.0%	★★★★☆
2019	25.7	730 of 865	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	726 of 851	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.8	765 of 1434	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.6	600 of 1437	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.9	698 of 1450	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	577 of 1437	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.6	734 of 1366	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.3	1180 of 1329	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.1	927 of 1361	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	911 of 1332	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.8	1053 of 1451	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.9	993 of 1450	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	974 of 1464	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	965 of 1461	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	1026 of 1464	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.6	1295 of 1444	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	1223 of 1430	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	1175 of 1413	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	57.8	50 of 133	62.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	389 of 815	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.6	375 of 821	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.8	685 of 801	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	888 of 1146	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	897 of 1166	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	880 of 1183	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	1086 of 1194	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	1142 of 1172	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	1050 of 1183	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	967 of 1178	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)64th percentile+34 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)62nd percentile+26 vs school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile+16 vs school

African American (2026)45th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)28th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)24th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)23rd percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science62%-6 vs state

Reading50%-6 vs state

Mathematics50%-14 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a citizen on FaceBook
Wednesday, November 5, 2014

I was extremely disappointed with my experience at MMES. The principal, Lola Williams, is extremely negative as are some of the teachers. I have witnessed teachers yelling at students, parents yelling at teachers, and a complete lack of respect. It is not an environment where students or staff feel welcome, safe, or respected. I was completely disgusted by what I saw, so much that I was physically ill because of it. My heart goes out to the staff that is under-appreciated and the students that have to endure the daily disrespect and lack of love. I would rather homeschool my child than send them to MMES. They need to get rid of the negative people on the staff in order for this school to succeed, that includes quite a few teachers, the principal and the computer teacher who never taught any of the children anything useful when she decided to actually show up to teach computer skills. When a teacher knowingly bullies students and nothing is done about it, you know the school is beyond help. I could go on, but only so many characters are allowed. You've been warned. Close Quote

Schools Near Mary McArthur Elementary

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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)				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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Mary McArthur Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3809 Village Drive	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 424-2206	447	31	14.5	97.8%	75 (16.8%)	227 (50.8%)	78 (17.4%)	10 (2.2%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	52 (11.6%)	33.5	1036^th of 1492 public elementary schools	30.6%		40.9	901^st of 1490 public elementary schools	39.5%	135	57.0	48.5	41.5	50.6	59.1	40.0	61.5	$11,714	$1,748	$9,966
Glendale Acres Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	2915 Skycrest Drive	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 484-9031	251	18	14.0	98.8%	35 (13.9%)	125 (49.8%)	36 (14.3%)	27 (10.8%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.2%)								(n/a)								$14,262	$1,722	$12,540
J W Coon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	905 Hope Mills Road	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 425-6141	186	19	9.9	98.4%	36 (19.4%)	84 (45.2%)	43 (23.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (11.3%)	23.3	1219^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.3%		23.3	1212^th of 1490 public elementary schools	18.7%	7	56.5	42.1	34.8	47.8	26.3	47.8	56.5	$15,400	$1,813	$13,587
Sherwood Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2115 Hope Mills Road	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 424-4797	335	28	12.1	95.5%	54 (16.1%)	169 (50.4%)	62 (18.5%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (13.1%)	54.4	661^st of 1492 public elementary schools	55.7%		58.7	586^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.7%	75	70.6	65.5	56.4	56.9	62.1	51.3	59.0	$11,579	$1,916	$9,663
William H Owen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4533 Raeford Road	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 425-6163	393	30	13.1	99.0%	32 (8.1%)	251 (63.9%)	84 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	37.9	944^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.7%		42	879^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.0%	65	62.3	47.4	58.2	41.0	45.6	45.5	76.4	$10,370	$1,704	$8,665
Cumberland Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 Cumberland Road	Fayetteville	28306	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 485-7171	337	26	12.9	98.2%	62 (18.4%)	170 (50.4%)	63 (18.7%)	8 (2.4%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.3%)	35.4	995^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.3%		34.3	1012^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.1%	17	56.1	40.8	58.0	50.0	44.9	48.0	68.0	$11,146	$1,702	$9,445
Elizabeth M Cashwell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2970 Legion Road	Fayetteville	28306	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 424-2312	576	35	16.2	98.8%	72 (12.5%)	350 (60.8%)	79 (13.7%)	7 (1.2%)	11 (1.9%)	3 (0.5%)	54 (9.4%)	28.2	1130^th of 1492 public elementary schools	24.3%		23.3	1214^th of 1490 public elementary schools	18.5%	84	57.1	48.8	47.4	42.9	46.3	44.0	59.2	$10,037	$2,089	$7,948
Ashley Elementary	Public	3-5	810 Trainer Drive	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 484-4156	180	14	12.5	98.3%	45 (25.0%)	80 (44.4%)	18 (10.0%)	21 (11.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.3%)	38.7	926^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.9%		41.9	881^st of 1490 public elementary schools	40.9%	45	55.1	50.0	60.5	44.9	48.1	58.1	65.1	$12,222	$1,413	$10,809
Cumberland Mills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2576 Hope Mills Road	Fayetteville	28306	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 424-4536	573	33	17.3	96.7%	78 (13.6%)	304 (53.1%)	104 (18.2%)	3 (0.5%)	5 (0.9%)	8 (1.4%)	71 (12.4%)	24.9	1191^st of 1492 public elementary schools	20.2%		24.4	1197^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.7%	6	39.6	46.4	53.2	41.6	50.0	45.6	55.7	$9,071	$1,598	$7,473
Vanstory Hills Elementary	Public	2-5	400 Foxhall Road	Fayetteville	28303	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 483-0809	514	32	15.8	99.4%	228 (44.4%)	143 (27.8%)	83 (16.1%)	10 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (9.1%)	71.9	381^st of 1492 public elementary schools	74.5%		77	296^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.1%	85	68.3	70.4	73.8	58.6	70.4	64.8	78.7	$8,221	$969	$7,252

Frequently Asked Questions about Mary McArthur Elementary

Is Mary McArthur Elementary a good school?

Mary McArthur Elementary ranks 1036^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mary McArthur Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 447 students attended Mary McArthur Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Mary McArthur Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mary McArthur Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Douglas Byrd Middle
High : Douglas Byrd High

What district is Mary McArthur Elementary in?

Cumberland County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Mary McArthur Elementary?

Students at Mary McArthur Elementary are 51% African American, 17% Hispanic, 17% White, 12% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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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.