Margaret Willis Elementary

Margaret Willis Elementary is a small PK–5 school in Fayetteville, NC, serving 296 students in the Cumberland County Schools district. Like several of its neighbors, the school serves a very high-poverty population, with 97.6% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch. The school's overall state ranking is in the 21st percentile of North Carolina elementary schools — a real improvement from the 4th percentile low during the pandemic year, but it has plateaued in recent years.

The most important pattern for parents to understand is the grade-level picture. Margaret Willis's 3rd graders perform at or slightly above district and state averages in math and reading. That makes its 3rd grade among the strongest in its local cluster of similar schools. But by 5th grade, the school falls sharply behind. Only about 26% of 5th graders scored proficient in math, and 36% in science — roughly 30 points below state averages and the lowest among nearby schools with published scores. By comparison, nearby Vanstory Hills Elementary, which serves a similar high-poverty population, posts dramatically higher scores in every grade. Montclair Elementary starts weaker in 3rd grade but has much stronger 5th-grade results, which suggests the upper-grade challenge at Margaret Willis is not simply about demographics.

On a more positive note, chronic absenteeism has improved steadily, falling from 58.8% in 2020-21 to about 26% today — better than the district average of 33.7% and better than several neighboring schools like Walker-Spivey Elementary and Westarea Elementary. The school also has a slightly lower student-teacher ratio and higher per-pupil spending than some higher-performing neighbors, so the gap in outcomes is not explained by fewer resources. For parents considering this school, the key question is how the school supports students as they move from a solid 3rd-grade foundation into the upper elementary grades.