Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Ponderosa Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
544th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 63% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Ponderosa Elementary is a public elementary school located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 391 students. The school is part of the Cumberland County Schools district, which is ranked 144 out of 242 districts in the state.

Ponderosa Elementary has shown consistent improvement in its academic performance, moving from the bottom quartile (1 star) in 2020-2021 to the middle quartile (3 stars) in the most recent 2024-2025 school year. The school's performance on state assessments is generally higher than the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics. For example, in 2024-2025, 76.2% of 3rd graders, 61.7% of 5th graders, and 68.1% of 5th graders were proficient or better in EOG Mathematics, Mathematics, and Science, respectively, compared to the district averages of 57%, 50.8%, and 57.8%. Ponderosa Elementary's performance is especially strong for its African American and Hispanic student subgroups, ranking in the top 25% and top 15% of North Carolina elementary schools, respectively, in the 2024-2025 school year.

When comparing Ponderosa Elementary to the nearby schools in the Cumberland County Schools district, the school generally outperforms its counterparts, particularly in mathematics and science, across multiple grade levels. Schools like Vanstory Hills Elementary and William H. Owen Elementary also demonstrate strong academic performance, suggesting opportunities for collaboration and sharing of best practices within the district. However, all the nearby schools have very high percentages of students from low-income families, highlighting the need for targeted, district-wide strategies to address the unique challenges faced by these high-poverty schools.

417
Students ?
15.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$9,309
Per pupil spending ?
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%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 31st percentile in 2015 → 63rd in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 32 percentile points since 2015
Among the top-ranked schools in Cumberland County Schools
Above the North Carolina median (63rd percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school61%
District avg53%
North Carolina avg57%
544th of 1,490
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 37%▲ up 33 pts since 2015
From bottom 31% (2015) to top 37% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
11th of 46Elementary Schools in the Cumberland County Schools
144th of 242Cumberland 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202561.2544 of 149063.5%★★★☆☆
202454.3674 of 150555.2%★★★☆☆
202354.0693 of 150253.9%★★★☆☆
202245.9814 of 151446.2%★★☆☆☆
202115.21307 of 148912.2%★☆☆☆☆
201928.81117 of 147324.2%★☆☆☆☆
201837.4967 of 143432.6%★★☆☆☆
201752.8704 of 142950.7%★★★☆☆
201663.4508 of 142564.4%★★★☆☆
201535.3997 of 144030.8%★★☆☆☆
201450.9691 of 139050.3%★★★☆☆
201336.4917 of 140334.6%★★☆☆☆
201230.01090 of 138821.5%★☆☆☆☆
201129.01084 of 138121.5%★☆☆☆☆
201022.51146 of 136315.9%★☆☆☆☆
200923.51113 of 135417.8%★☆☆☆☆
200821.01123 of 132415.2%★☆☆☆☆
200743.3841 of 129335.0%★★☆☆☆
200638.0900 of 127629.5%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202574.9157 of 91882.9%★★★★☆
202468.1209 of 92477.4%★★★★☆
202368.5222 of 93376.2%★★★★☆
202268.3200 of 92778.4%★★★★☆
202128.4676 of 89624.6%★☆☆☆☆
201949.0459 of 94951.6%★★★☆☆
201861.5292 of 92768.5%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
201924.2764 of 87813.0%★☆☆☆☆
201826.3743 of 89717.2%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202560.7534 of 145163.2%★★★☆☆
202458.2574 of 145560.5%★★★☆☆
202366.2450 of 145969.2%★★★☆☆
202253.0669 of 145854.1%★★★☆☆
202121.91152 of 144020.0%★☆☆☆☆
201937.9939 of 142434.1%★★☆☆☆
201850.2738 of 140547.5%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202560.2321 of 71054.8%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202576.3135 of 96186.0%★★★★☆
202477.0146 of 95184.6%★★★★☆
202379.0115 of 91587.4%★★★★☆
202251.8381 of 89357.3%★★★☆☆
202148.2385 of 84354.3%★★★☆☆
201948.0442 of 86548.9%★★☆☆☆
201851.7398 of 85153.2%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202562.2443 of 143769.2%★★★☆☆
202465.1396 of 145072.7%★★★★☆
202357.0552 of 143761.6%★★★☆☆
202253.6591 of 136656.7%★★★☆☆
202130.2964 of 132927.5%★☆☆☆☆
201943.1832 of 136138.9%★★☆☆☆
201856.1563 of 133257.7%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202559.7554 of 145061.8%★★★☆☆
202448.1782 of 146446.6%★★☆☆☆
202340.5909 of 146137.8%★★☆☆☆
202238.4927 of 146436.7%★★☆☆☆
202112.01324 of 14448.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201923.21194 of 143016.5%★☆☆☆☆
201831.81053 of 141325.5%★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202430.561 of 7518.7%★☆☆☆☆
202347.846 of 8143.2%★★☆☆☆
20212.676 of 760.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201934.753 of 7226.4%★☆☆☆☆
201848.842 of 7644.7%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202427.0652 of 80118.6%★☆☆☆☆
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 (2025)86th percentile+22 vs school
African American (2025)83rd percentile+19 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)69th percentile+6 vs school
Female (2025)63rd percentile~ school
Male (2025)62nd percentile~ school
Gifted and Talented (2025)55th percentile-9 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 (2024-2025) ?
Science68%+6 vs state
Mathematics63%~ state avg
Reading57%+4 vs state

No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Ponderosa Elementary and help other families decide.
Rate Ponderosa Elementary
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.



Schools Near Ponderosa Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Ponderosa Elementary

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 544th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Westover Middle
High : Westover High

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

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


Rate Ponderosa Elementary!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Ponderosa Elementary!




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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 51 milliseconds.