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Bill Hefner Elementary

Q: Is Bill Hefner Elementary a good school?

Bill Hefner Elementary ranks 825 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

825^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Bill Hefner Elementary is a PK–5 school in Fayetteville, NC, serving 712 students within Cumberland County Schools, located in a high-poverty area where 94.2% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. The key headline is momentum: after several years near the bottom fifth of North Carolina elementary schools, Bill Hefner jumped to the 45th percentile statewide (rank 825 out of 1,492) — up from the 24th percentile in 2024-25 — placing it as the highest-ranked school in its 10-school local comparison group.

Academically, the school now outperforms its local peer average in every tested subject and grade, and it leads its cluster in 3rd grade math, 5th grade math, and 5th grade reading. For example, 3rd grade math proficiency is 67.6 — 12.7 points above the average of ten nearby schools and slightly above the state average of 66.4. It also ranks ahead of every neighboring school, including E E Miller Elementary and Ponderosa Elementary (both near the 44th percentile), while several nearby schools, such as Montclair Elementary and Brentwood Elementary, remain mired in the teens and 20s. The clearest academic weakness is 4th grade math, which trails the state by 11.8 points.

One of the most striking achievements is attendance. Chronic absenteeism fell from 31.4% two years ago to 17.6% in 2024-25 — the lowest in the entire 11-school cluster and well below the district rate of 33.7%. Broad subgroup gains support the turnaround story: African American students rose to the 74th percentile statewide, special education students climbed to the 68th, and low-income students reached the 55th. One clear equity concern remains: military-connected students scored at the 1st percentile statewide, a red flag in a district that serves Fort Liberty. Bill Hefner appears to have built a real turnaround, but the school has not yet shown it can sustain this momentum, and continued attendance work will be key.

712

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

94.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7059 Calamar Drive
Fayetteville, NC 28314

(910) 860-7058

District: Cumberland County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

56.7%

Hispanic:

15.9%

White:

13.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Bill Hefner Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 33rd percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg57%

North Carolina avg61%

825^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 33% (2016) to bottom 45% (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	45.0	825 of 1492	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.6	1139 of 1490	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	1222 of 1505	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	1103 of 1502	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.3	822 of 1514	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.3	1201 of 1489	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	1160 of 1473	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.4	1097 of 1434	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	39.0	926 of 1429	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.8	954 of 1425	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.5	899 of 1440	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.3	813 of 1390	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	31.4	1018 of 1403	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	57.5	653 of 1388	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.2	540 of 1381	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	56.5	672 of 1363	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.7	512 of 1354	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.3	609 of 1324	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.8	374 of 1293	71.1%	★★★★☆
2006	65.3	430 of 1276	66.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.9	231 of 903	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	49.8	427 of 918	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.2	494 of 924	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.3	406 of 933	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.4	248 of 927	73.2%	★★★★☆
2021	34.9	573 of 896	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.3	589 of 949	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	568 of 927	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	52.8	220 of 634	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.5	576 of 646	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.7	528 of 878	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.8	782 of 897	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	904 of 1447	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.3	1118 of 1451	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	1117 of 1455	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	989 of 1459	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	760 of 1458	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.1	1167 of 1440	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	954 of 1424	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.4	954 of 1405	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.5	141 of 743	81.0%	★★★★☆
2025	54.7	436 of 710	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	475 of 669	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.3	585 of 981	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	571 of 961	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.7	615 of 951	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.8	493 of 915	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	79.0	110 of 893	87.7%	★★★★☆
2021	59.3	268 of 843	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.1	395 of 865	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.1	249 of 851	70.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.7	651 of 1434	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.3	1122 of 1437	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1082 of 1450	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.0	851 of 1437	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.3	466 of 1366	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.6	1036 of 1329	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.1	880 of 1361	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	944 of 1332	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	725 of 1451	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.2	1113 of 1450	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	1252 of 1464	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	1141 of 1461	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.0	842 of 1464	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.6	1173 of 1444	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	1232 of 1430	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	1186 of 1413	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	71 of 72	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	75 of 75	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	68 of 81	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.0	61 of 85	28.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	9.6	74 of 76	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	63 of 72	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.3	62 of 76	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	138 of 175	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.7	118 of 154	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.8	87 of 133	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.7	39 of 97	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.8	48 of 103	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.0	59 of 86	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	259 of 815	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.8	472 of 821	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.7	713 of 801	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	14.2	1100 of 1166	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	35.5	835 of 1183	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.8	728 of 1194	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.3	1012 of 1172	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.1	905 of 1183	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.0	711 of 1178	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)81st percentile+36 vs school

African American (2026)74th percentile+30 vs school

Special Education (2026)68th percentile+24 vs school

Disabled (2022)65th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)40th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)21st percentile~ school

White (2024)6th percentile-13 vs school

Military Connected (2025)1st percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science66%~ state avg

Mathematics58%-5 vs state

Reading53%-4 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

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2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 24, 2018

Teachers don't last long here. Almost every year, my child had a teacher that was their first year teaching. Those are the years my child struggled, the 1 year she had an experienced teacher, she thrived. The principle never seems to know what he's doing. There's a no tolerance for bullying, but he sweeps it under the rug so the schools stats make it look better than what it is. One teacher, all I did was ask a simple question about my childs homework, she proceeded to send passive aggressive notes and talk to me like I'm a child.

UPDATE: To tell you how bad it is. A boy threatened to blow up the school, kill all the girls in it, along with various other threats. He lunged at a teachers throat. He's been in trouble multiple times before. He made violent threats to other students as well. The school did nothing other than suspend him for 4 days. The school did not inform parents that there was a threat to blow up the school, no lockdown. The one parent who found out, the school told her to keep her mouth shut about it, but she didn't. She made videos telling everything. While they didn't go viral, the videos were sent to the FBI, CIA, local police, news and media outlets. Only then did the school decide to kick the boy out. This school is a joke. This is the only school where reporters aren't allowed. What is this school hiding? There's also been issues where a student was sexually harassed by another and the school didn't do anything about it. "No Tolerance", more like "hide everything so we look like a good school with no problems". Teachers have left, openly admitting it's because of Cahill, he's shady. He may seem like a nice guy, but all covert Narcissists do. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Teachers cry a lot at this school. Why? Ask the principals. Close Quote

Schools Near Bill Hefner Elementary

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Ranking:

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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
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
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
Lake Rim Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1455 Hoke Loop Road	Fayetteville	28314	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 867-1133	656	41	15.9	99.4%	76 (11.6%)	376 (57.3%)	128 (19.5%)	10 (1.5%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (9.1%)	28.8	1119^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.0%		32.6	1043^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	30.0%	76	51.8	38.1	43.6	51.8	51.4	42.6	63.4	$8,613	$1,279	$7,333
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
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
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
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
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
New Century International Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7465 Century Circle	Fayetteville	28306	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 487-2340	686	46	14.7	97.4%	155 (22.6%)	293 (42.7%)	129 (18.8%)	19 (2.8%)	9 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	79 (11.5%)	34.7	1014^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.0%		47.8	786^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.2%	228	52.6	50.4	44.4	54.6	54.0	51.9	56.5	$9,286	$1,041	$8,245
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Hefner Elementary

How many students attend Bill Hefner Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 712 students attended Bill Hefner Elementary.

Is Bill Hefner Elementary a good school?

Bill Hefner Elementary ranks 825^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Bill Hefner Elementary?

Students at Bill Hefner Elementary are 57% African American, 16% Hispanic, 13% White, 11% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Bill Hefner Elementary in?

Cumberland County Schools

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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.