E E Smith High

E E Smith High in Fayetteville, NC, is one of the larger traditional high schools in Cumberland County Schools, serving roughly 1,017 students in grades 9–12. The school has an exceptionally high level of economic need: 99.7 percent of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25, the highest rate among nearby traditional high schools. Cumberland County Schools itself is a mid-range North Carolina district, ranking in the 43rd percentile statewide.

After several difficult years with 1-star ratings, E E Smith earned a 2-star rating in 2025-26 and rose to the 35th percentile statewide—its best ranking since 2016-17. Gains were broad: Biology proficiency improved from 33.0 percent to 55.8 percent, Math III nearly doubled from 31.7 percent to 59.4 percent, and Math I rose from 31.6 percent to 41.4 percent. English II also improved to 51.8 percent but remains the largest subject gap. Against nearby schools, E E Smith now outperforms Douglas Byrd High on every end-of-course test and is essentially tied overall with Terry Sanford High, even though Terry Sanford has a far lower poverty rate.

Attendance and graduation remain the biggest obstacles. Chronic absenteeism hit 44.5 percent in 2024-25—well above the state’s 24.2 percent—and the 82.5 percent graduation rate still trails the district and state average near 88 percent. English II is a priority area, as is continued support for the school’s lowest-performing subgroups. Notably, the recent academic upturn has been broad rather than isolated: African American, Hispanic, White, and English Learner students now score at or above the statewide median for their groups. While families nearby have selective options like Reid Ross Classical High, Cross Creek Early College, and Cumberland Polytechnic, E E Smith’s momentum shows that a large, high-poverty comprehensive high school can move in a positive direction.