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Sunnyside Elementary

Q: Is Sunnyside Elementary a good school?

Sunnyside Elementary ranks 727 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

727^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 51% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Sunnyside Elementary is a K-5 school in Fayetteville, NC, serving 362 students in Cumberland County Schools, where 96–99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has staged a remarkable comeback: in 2018–19 it ranked in the 11th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools with a 1-star rating, but by 2025–26 it had climbed to the 51st percentile (3 stars) — right at the statewide median. That steady upward climb makes the school one of the clearest examples of sustained improvement in the area, outpacing nearby Margaret Willis Elementary, Cumberland Road Elementary, and Ashley Elementary despite enrolling a similarly high-need population.

Academically, math is Sunnyside's standout subject. Third-graders scored 68.1% proficient in math (above the state's 66.4%), and fifth-graders reached 65.0% (above the state's 62.9%). Science proficiency also topped district and state averages. Reading is more mixed: third-grade reading (59.6%) beats the state average of 55.6%, but fifth-grade reading (43.3%) falls well below the state's 55.3% — a sharp drop from the prior year. That pattern suggests early-grade literacy efforts are working, while upper-grade reading remains the key academic weakness. Nearby Stedman Elementary and Armstrong Elementary prove that high-poverty schools can excel, with top-quarter state rankings and chronic absenteeism near 23%.

Attendance is Sunnyside's biggest non-academic hurdle. In 2024–25, 42.8% of students were chronically absent — far above the district's 33.7% and the state's 24.2%, and roughly double the rate at high-performing peers like Stedman Elementary, Armstrong Elementary, and J W Seabrook Elementary. The school also achieves more with less: per-student spending of $10,621 is the lowest among nearby full K-5 schools, and its 17.3-to-1 student-teacher ratio is the highest in the area. Despite those constraints, results for the school's highest-need students are encouraging — Hispanic students rank in the 91st percentile statewide, while African American and low-income students rank in the 70th. Military-connected and gifted students remain relative gaps, but if Sunnyside can improve attendance, its already impressive momentum could accelerate further.

362

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

96.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

78.3%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

3876 Sunnyside School Road
Fayetteville, NC 28312-9634

(910) 483-4319

District: Cumberland County Schools

Students who attend Sunnyside Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mac Williams Middle
High:	Cape Fear High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

62.7%

Hispanic:

13.3%

White:

11.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Sunnyside Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2016 → 51st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 24% North Carolina)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg57%

North Carolina avg61%

727^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 49%▲ up 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to top 49% (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	50.1	727 of 1492	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.0	898 of 1490	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	965 of 1505	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	1066 of 1502	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.2	1206 of 1514	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	1217 of 1489	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.5	1310 of 1473	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	1124 of 1434	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.7	1024 of 1429	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.4	998 of 1425	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.7	785 of 1440	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.3	660 of 1390	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.1	608 of 1403	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.5	570 of 1388	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	43.0	882 of 1381	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	64.1	530 of 1363	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	36.1	963 of 1354	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	19.0	1145 of 1324	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	26.0	1077 of 1293	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.9	1096 of 1276	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.8	267 of 903	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	54.1	358 of 918	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	426 of 924	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.2	393 of 933	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.1	713 of 927	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.3	584 of 896	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.6	795 of 949	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	687 of 927	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	38.8	357 of 634	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.1	631 of 878	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.9	758 of 1447	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.6	779 of 1451	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.8	949 of 1455	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	1059 of 1459	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	1088 of 1458	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	1012 of 1440	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.1	1296 of 1424	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	1266 of 1405	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	521 of 743	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.0	89 of 981	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	33.0	656 of 893	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.2	424 of 1434	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	52.0	643 of 1437	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.0	803 of 1450	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.3	996 of 1437	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.5	1242 of 1366	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.6	1001 of 1329	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	1260 of 1361	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.2	1050 of 1332	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	677 of 1451	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.2	968 of 1450	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.7	926 of 1464	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.5	1025 of 1461	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	1239 of 1464	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	1279 of 1444	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	1253 of 1430	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	1071 of 1413	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	24.4	66 of 75	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	72 of 85	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	511 of 815	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.2	249 of 821	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.4	420 of 801	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	431 of 1146	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.4	409 of 1172	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	346 of 1166	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	25.4	978 of 1183	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	49.7	617 of 1194	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.8	1150 of 1183	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)91st percentile+40 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2026)70th percentile+19 vs school

White (2026)62nd percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)48th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)44th percentile+23 vs school

Special Education (2026)37th percentile-14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)30th percentile-21 vs school

Military Connected (2024)12th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science68%~ state avg

Mathematics64%~ state avg

Reading51%-5 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Sunnyside have really grown over the years, accademically, & etc. Teachers take pride in their work pushing the kids to excell. Close Quote

Schools Near Sunnyside 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sunnyside Elementary	Public	K-5	3876 Sunnyside School Road	Fayetteville	28312	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 483-4319	362	21	17.3	96.1%	43 (11.9%)	227 (62.7%)	48 (13.3%)	2 (0.6%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.1%)	50.1	727^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.3%		41	898^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.7%	171	68.1	57.4	65.0	59.6	53.2	43.3	68.3	78.3%	0%	$10,621	$1,658	$8,964
J W Seabrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4619 NC Hwy 210 South	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 323-2930	271	21	12.9	—	96 (35.4%)	74 (27.3%)	41 (15.1%)	5 (1.8%)	17 (6.3%)	1 (0.4%)	37 (13.7%)	67.3	465^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.8%		57	609^th of 1490 public elementary schools	59.1%	144	77.3	60.4	76.5	70.5	52.1	61.8	76.5	90%	4%	$11,197	$1,825	$9,372
Walker-Spivey Elementary	Public	K-5	500 Fisher Street	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 483-5656	345	22	15.8	—	7 (2.0%)	289 (83.8%)	17 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.8%)	7.6	1446^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.1%		12.5	1384^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.1%	62	41.0	28.3	31.0	25.6	40.0	31.0	40.5	96.5%	1.8%	$11,761	$1,939	$9,823
Armstrong Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3395 Dunn Road	Eastover	28312	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 483-2425	456	34	13.5	—	145 (31.8%)	148 (32.5%)	86 (18.9%)	6 (1.3%)	13 (2.9%)	4 (0.9%)	54 (11.8%)	72.1	376^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.8%		84.1	188^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.4%	188	70.0	79.5	67.2	61.1	71.2	63.9	73.8	98.3%	1.7%	$11,856	$1,515	$10,342
Cumberland Virtual Academy K-5	Public, Virtual	2-5	800 North Street	Fayetteville	28301	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	Yes	Yes	(910) 500-7584	168	13	12.8	71.4%	33 (19.6%)	76 (45.2%)	32 (19.0%)	1 (0.6%)	4 (2.4%)	2 (1.2%)	20 (11.9%)	9.8	1425^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.5%		26.7	1138^th of 1490 public elementary schools	23.6%	287	37.5	26.9	30.3	33.3	38.5	42.4	39.4
Stedman Elementary	Public	1-5	7370 Clinton Road Hwy 24	Stedman	28391	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 483-3886	284	26	10.9	—	166 (58.5%)	37 (13.0%)	37 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	38 (13.4%)	87.4	152^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	89.8%		76.9	300^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.9%	148	83.1	76.8	80.3	77.5	72.5	75.4	83.6			$11,859	$1,108	$10,751
Stedman Primary	Public	PK, KG-1	155 E First Street	Stedman	28391	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 484-6954	161	11	14.6	96.9%	96 (59.6%)	25 (15.5%)	12 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (14.3%)								(n/a)								89.6%	7.5%	$12,763	$1,367	$11,396
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	—	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 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	—	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	91.1%	2.2%	$11,146	$1,702	$9,445
Alma O Easom Elementary	Public	K-1	1610 Westlawn Avenue	Fayetteville	28305	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 484-0194	301	18	16.7	—	96 (31.9%)	111 (36.9%)	62 (20.6%)	4 (1.3%)	5 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (7.3%)								(n/a)								79.4%	1.5%	$10,478	$765	$9,712

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunnyside Elementary

Is Sunnyside Elementary a good school?

Sunnyside Elementary ranks 727^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Sunnyside Elementary?

Students at Sunnyside Elementary are 63% African American, 13% Hispanic, 12% White, 9% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Sunnyside Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunnyside Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mac Williams Middle
High : Cape Fear High

What district is Sunnyside Elementary in?

Cumberland County Schools

How many students attend Sunnyside Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Sunnyside Elementary.

Rate Sunnyside Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.