The Capitol Encore Academy

The Capitol Encore Academy serves 853 students across grades K–12 as an alternative school in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina, operating as its own district and serving a student body where roughly 98% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The school's student-teacher ratio of 13.6 gives it more adults per student than nearby Alpha Academy, a similar K–12 alternative school about 11 miles away with a ratio of 17.5. That structural advantage, however, has not yet translated into the kind of results Alpha Academy posts, and the two schools provide a useful comparison for parents considering their options.

Academically, The Capitol Encore Academy presents a mixed picture. Reading is a relative strength: 6th grade reading proficiency reached 56.0% in the latest year—slightly above the state's 54.8%—and 4th and 3rd grade reading hovered near state averages. Science is an even stronger area, with 8th grade science proficiency at 81.6% versus 68.6% statewide. Mathematics is the school's most urgent challenge. Math I End-of-Course proficiency sits at just 10.2%, far below the state average of 42.1% and Alpha Academy's 44.9%. Gaps appear across most grade levels, from 3rd grade math at 49.3% versus the state's 66.4%, to 7th grade math at 31.3% versus 56.2%. Year-to-year swings also suggest smaller class cohorts are influencing results.

Non-academic factors play a large role in the school's performance. Chronic absenteeism affects 33.3% of students—meaning roughly one in three misses significant instructional time—a rate well above the state's 24.2% and Alpha Academy's 18.7%. The good news is the graduation rate improved dramatically from 52.9% to 73.0% in the latest year, moving closer to Alpha Academy's 76.7%, though still below the state's 88.8%. For parents, the picture is one of meaningful momentum paired with serious obstacles: The Capitol Encore Academy serves one of the highest-poverty populations in the region, and while its science and reading efforts show real strength, math proficiency and chronic absenteeism remain the barriers most likely to hold students back.