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Ponderosa Elementary

Q: Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 840 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

840^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Ponderosa Elementary is a PK-5 school in Fayetteville, NC, that serves 417 students and is part of Cumberland County Schools. The school operates in a very high-poverty context, with roughly 97–99% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. For the 2025-2026 school year, Ponderosa earned a 2-star rating and ranked 840th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (44th percentile) — a step back from two consecutive 3-star years.

Even with the recent dip, Ponderosa has genuine strengths worth noting. Its early-grade performance is especially impressive given the poverty level: 3rd grade math proficiency was 65.3% in the latest year, close to the state average of 66.4%, and the school outperformed the district in 3rd grade math and reading as well as 5th grade science, which has held steady at roughly 68% proficiency for three straight years. Ponderosa also ranks ahead of 7 of its 10 nearby comparison schools, including Morganton Road Elementary, just half a mile away, which has higher chronic absenteeism. The strongest nearby comparison is Vanstory Hills Elementary, which serves a nearly identical student population but ranks at the 74th percentile statewide.

The area that deserves the most attention is upper-grade reading. Ponderosa's 5th grade reading proficiency was 45.6% in the latest year — about 10 points behind the state — and this weakness has persisted even as early-grade results remain strong. Chronic absenteeism (32.0%) is below the district average but well above the state average, and notably higher than Vanstory Hills' 17.4%. The most recent decline was broad-based across student subgroups, which suggests a schoolwide challenge rather than a single weak class. Reducing absenteeism and sustaining reading gains beyond 3rd grade are likely the two biggest levers for Ponderosa to climb back into the 3-star range.

417

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

96.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

311 Bonanza Drive
Fayetteville, NC 28303-6398

(910) 864-0148

District: Cumberland County Schools

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Westover Middle
High:	Westover High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

57.3%

Hispanic:

21.8%

Two or more races:

9.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg57%

North Carolina avg61%

840^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to bottom 44% (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	44.3	840 of 1492	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.2	544 of 1490	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.3	674 of 1505	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	693 of 1502	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.9	814 of 1514	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.2	1307 of 1489	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	1117 of 1473	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.4	967 of 1434	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	52.8	704 of 1429	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.4	508 of 1425	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	35.3	997 of 1440	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.9	691 of 1390	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	36.4	917 of 1403	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	30.0	1090 of 1388	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.0	1084 of 1381	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.5	1146 of 1363	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	23.5	1113 of 1354	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.0	1123 of 1324	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	43.3	841 of 1293	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	38.0	900 of 1276	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	322 of 903	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.9	157 of 918	82.9%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	209 of 924	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.5	222 of 933	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	68.3	200 of 927	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	28.4	676 of 896	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.0	459 of 949	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.5	292 of 927	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	24.2	764 of 878	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	743 of 897	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	749 of 1447	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.7	534 of 1451	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	574 of 1455	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.2	450 of 1459	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	669 of 1458	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	21.9	1152 of 1440	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.9	939 of 1424	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.2	738 of 1405	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	321 of 710	54.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.0	172 of 981	82.5%	★★★★☆
2025	76.3	135 of 961	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.0	146 of 951	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.0	115 of 915	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	51.8	381 of 893	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.2	385 of 843	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.0	442 of 865	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.7	398 of 851	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.0	724 of 1434	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.2	443 of 1437	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	396 of 1450	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	552 of 1437	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	591 of 1366	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.2	964 of 1329	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.1	832 of 1361	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.1	563 of 1332	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.5	886 of 1451	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.7	554 of 1450	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	782 of 1464	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	909 of 1461	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.4	927 of 1464	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	12.0	1324 of 1444	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	1194 of 1430	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	1053 of 1413	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	30.5	61 of 75	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.8	46 of 81	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	2.6	76 of 76	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.7	53 of 72	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.8	42 of 76	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	27.0	652 of 801	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)82nd percentile+39 vs school

African American (2026)64th percentile+21 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)55th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)48th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)39th percentile-5 vs school

Military Connected (2024)19th percentile-37 vs school

Special Education (2024)19th percentile-37 vs school

Disabled (2019)13th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science68%~ state avg

Mathematics57%-6 vs state

Reading52%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ponderosa 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
Ponderosa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	311 Bonanza Drive	Fayetteville	28303	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 864-0148	417	27	15.7	96.6%	30 (7.2%)	239 (57.3%)	91 (21.8%)	11 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (1.0%)	41 (9.8%)	44.3	840^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.7%		61.2	544^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.5%	296	65.3	51.4	57.9	55.1	54.3	45.6	68.4	$9,309	$1,813	$7,495
Morganton Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	102 Bonanza Drive	Fayetteville	28303	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 867-4137	491	30	16.2	99.4%	64 (13.0%)	286 (58.2%)	84 (17.1%)	10 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	43 (8.8%)	29.8	1098^th of 1492 public elementary schools	26.4%		25.8	1160^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.1%	62	57.7	28.6	45.5	47.4	33.8	50.0	70.5	$9,482	$1,213	$8,269
Benjamin J Martin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	430 N Reilly Road	Fayetteville	28303	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 864-4843	522	36	14.3	97.7%	54 (10.3%)	311 (59.6%)	82 (15.7%)	13 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (11.5%)	38.7	928^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.8%		20.8	1265^th of 1490 public elementary schools	15.1%	337	63.6	36.6	54.5	52.7	52.4	48.5	69.7	$9,754	$1,847	$7,907
Cliffdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6450 Cliffdale Road	Fayetteville	28314	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 864-3442	613	44	14.0	97.9%	28 (4.6%)	381 (62.2%)	137 (22.3%)	6 (1.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (9.5%)	19.8	1281^st of 1492 public elementary schools	14.1%		16.4	1335^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.4%	54	50.0	45.0	35.6	38.7	52.0	33.0	52.7	$9,948	$1,914	$8,034
Montclair Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	555 Glensford Drive	Fayetteville	28314	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 868-5124	433	31	13.9	99.3%	46 (10.6%)	226 (52.2%)	103 (23.8%)	13 (3.0%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	40 (9.2%)	23.2	1223^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	18.0%		36	982^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	34.1%	241	47.0	33.8	57.9	31.8	43.2	50.9	57.9	$10,530	$1,397	$9,133
Brentwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1115 Bingham Drive	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 864-5310	494	36	13.8	96.8%	52 (10.5%)	298 (60.3%)	90 (18.2%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	44 (8.9%)	24.2	1201^st of 1492 public elementary schools	19.5%		27.6	1117^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.0%	84	47.8	51.8	46.2	35.8	50.6	40.0	53.8	$11,456	$2,255	$9,201
Bill Hefner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7059 Calamar Drive	Fayetteville	28314	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 860-7058	712	44	16.3	94.2%	94 (13.2%)	404 (56.7%)	113 (15.9%)	16 (2.2%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	77 (10.8%)	45	825^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.7%		26.6	1139^th of 1490 public elementary schools	23.6%	314	67.6	49.6	58.7	52.4	51.3	54.3	66.3	$8,571	$1,209	$7,361
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
Loyd E Auman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6882 Raeford Road	Fayetteville	28304	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 868-8153	495	35	14.0	99.2%	60 (12.1%)	285 (57.6%)	84 (17.0%)	14 (2.8%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (8.7%)	29.3	1108^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.7%		33.8	1019^th of 1490 public elementary schools	31.6%	89	52.9	52.1	50.7	42.9	53.4	38.8	58.2	$10,052	$1,488	$8,565
E E Miller Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1361 Rim Road	Fayetteville	28314	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 868-2800	656	42	15.7	99.5%	108 (16.5%)	312 (47.6%)	156 (23.8%)	5 (0.8%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	67 (10.2%)	44.9	831^st of 1492 public elementary schools	44.3%		39.2	935^th of 1490 public elementary schools	37.2%	104	60.2	50.5	43.6	61.2	57.7	50.5	70.5	$8,887	$1,163	$7,725

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponderosa Elementary

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Westover Middle
High : Westover High

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 57% African American, 22% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 7% White, 3% Asian.

What district is Ponderosa Elementary in?

Cumberland County Schools

Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 840^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 417 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

Rate Ponderosa Elementary!

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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.