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STAR Academy

Q: Is STAR Academy a good school?

STAR Academy ranks in the bottom 3.8% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend STAR Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 31 students attended STAR Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of STAR Academy?

Students at STAR Academy are 68% African American, 19% White, 13% Two or more races.

Public Grades 6-12

637^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 4% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

STAR Academy is an extremely small public school in Lillington, NC, serving grades 6-12 with just 31 students, and it operates as part of Harnett County Schools. The school serves a high-need population—87% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—and spends about $14,449 per student, far more than nearby traditional high schools. Despite this investment, its outcomes are strikingly low. In the most recent data, STAR Academy ranked in the 4th percentile statewide (637 of 662 schools) and has earned a 0-star rating in every recorded year since 2010-2011.

The most alarming differences show up in graduation rates and attendance. STAR Academy's graduation rate was just 29.6% in 2025-2026, compared to roughly 88% statewide and 87.5% across Harnett County. Nearby Harnett Central High, less than 6 miles away, graduates 93.5% of students. Chronic absenteeism at STAR Academy reached 81.7% in 2024-2025—meaning more than 8 in 10 students missed substantial school time—while the district rate was 26.9%. Even Triton High, which serves a student body with a 99.5% poverty rate, reports only 28.7% chronic absenteeism and an 88% graduation rate. Academically, STAR Academy proficiency rates are in the single digits to low twenties across nearly every subject. For example, only 7.4% of students passed Math I and 20% passed English II, compared to state averages of 42.1% and 64.6%. In contrast, Harnett County Early College, just 13 miles away in the same district, ranks in the 93rd percentile and posts proficiency rates above 90% on most end-of-course exams.

The data points to a school that is struggling profoundly year after year, not just because of one difficult cohort. Chronic absenteeism has stayed above 58% every year for the past four years, and the state ranking has remained in the bottom 5% consistently. While STAR Academy may be intended as a small, individualized support program—its student-teacher ratio has been as low as 1.6—the outcomes raise serious questions about whether the model is working. With such high per-pupil spending and extremely low academic results, parents should be aware that most surrounding schools, even those with similar challenges, are producing far better outcomes for students.

Students ?

8.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,449

Per pupil spending ?

87.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

900 11th Street
Lillington, NC 27546

(910) 893-4072

District: Harnett County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

67.7%

White:

19.4%

Two or more races:

12.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare STAR Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2011 → 4th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (12% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (30% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school12%

District avg48%

North Carolina avg58%

Middle school

776^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

637^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 4%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Harnett County Schools

173^rd of 246Harnett 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	0.7	776 of 778	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	0.7	772 of 773	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.5	786 of 793	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.6	783 of 784	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	0.8	786 of 786	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.1	721 of 737	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.5	689 of 691	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.5	684 of 694	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.3	683 of 692	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.2	695 of 705	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.5	659 of 673	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.8	640 of 662	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	13.7	595 of 648	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.8	625 of 640	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	2.5	603 of 630	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.4	577 of 620	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.5	588 of 606	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.8	577 of 598	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	2.5	552 of 553	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.1	546 of 546	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.0	547 of 550	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.0	517 of 519	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	1.0	724 of 725	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.3	740 of 743	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.2	688 of 689	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	620 of 639	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	1.2	735 of 736	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.5	726 of 733	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.6	749 of 751	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.2	745 of 747	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.0	748 of 748	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.8	679 of 697	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.9	661 of 665	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.9	637 of 662	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.3	636 of 641	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.2	622 of 626	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.8	513 of 514	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	0.9	474 of 476	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.2	501 of 507	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.4	510 of 531	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.8	478 of 505	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.3	490 of 502	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.5	493 of 506	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.4	487 of 499	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	2.2	471 of 490	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.1	443 of 477	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.1	437 of 453	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.3	402 of 431	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	5.0	599 of 606	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.9	424 of 424	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.4	610 of 624	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.4	599 of 607	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.4	592 of 602	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.2	487 of 488	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.9	463 of 463	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

African American (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)<1st percentile~ school

High school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II20%-45 vs state

Mathematics18%-42 vs state

Reading12%-44 vs state

Science10%-58 vs state

Math I7%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near STAR Academy

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
STAR Academy	Public	6-12	900 11th Street	Lillington	27546	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 893-4072	31	4	8.7	87.1%	6 (19.4%)	21 (67.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.9%)	3.9	637^th of 662 public high schools	3.8%		2.3	636^th of 641 public high schools	0.8%	1		20.0	7.4		17.6			11.8	9.1	14.3	10.3	$14,449	$1,242	$13,207
Harnett Central High	Public	9-12	2911 Harnett Central Rd	Angier	27501	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 639-6161	1,522	62	24.4	56.1%	626 (41.1%)	281 (18.5%)	506 (33.2%)	10 (0.7%)	8 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	90 (5.9%)	28.3	489^th of 662 public high schools	26.1%		23.4	503^rd of 641 public high schools	21.5%	14	52.0	52.2	32.3	50.8								$7,920	$580	$7,341
Triton High	Public	9-12	215 Maynard Lake Road	Erwin	28339	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 897-8121	1,274	58	22.0	99.5%	463 (36.3%)	332 (26.1%)	408 (32.0%)	5 (0.4%)	9 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (4.4%)	24.1	526^th of 662 public high schools	20.5%		20.9	517^th of 641 public high schools	19.3%	9	42.7	54.4	27.0	50.5								$8,782	$698	$8,084
Western Harnett High	Public	9-12	10637 NC Hwy 27 West	Lillington	27546	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 499-5113	1,324	56	23.4	61.8%	622 (47.0%)	208 (15.7%)	392 (29.6%)	13 (1.0%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	77 (5.8%)	24	528^th of 662 public high schools	20.2%		26	488^th of 641 public high schools	23.9%	40	40.1	48.9	32.1	54.2								$8,173	$760	$7,413
Harnett County Early College	Public	9-12	910 W. Harnett Street	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 814-3470	185	5	34.4	45.4%	62 (33.5%)	38 (20.5%)	65 (35.1%)	6 (3.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.0%)	92.2	46^th of 662 public high schools	93.1%		95.1	23^rd of 641 public high schools	96.4%	23	92.9	94.4	92.9	98.0								$8,448	$103	$8,345
Willow Spring High	Public	9-12	1704 Old Honeycutt Rd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8030	2,223	110	20.2	28.7%	1,249 (56.2%)	319 (14.3%)	465 (20.9%)	99 (4.5%)	5 (0.2%)	6 (0.3%)	80 (3.6%)	62	242^nd of 662 public high schools	63.4%		58.2	240^th of 641 public high schools	62.6%	2	74.4	79.8	31.5	71.7
Overhills High	Public	9-12	2495 Ray Road	Spring Lake	28390	Cumberland County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 436-1436	1,981	74	26.7	50.9%	623 (31.4%)	681 (34.4%)	467 (23.6%)	15 (0.8%)	17 (0.9%)	19 (1.0%)	159 (8.0%)	33.7	450^th of 662 public high schools	32.0%		28.7	468^th of 641 public high schools	27.0%	18	56.5	58.6	32.0	53.5								$7,867	$653	$7,214
Fuquay-Varina High	Public	9-12	201 Bengal Blvd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2511	1,858	98	18.9	25.1%	1,073 (57.8%)	276 (14.9%)	313 (16.8%)	105 (5.7%)	6 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	83 (4.5%)	68.6	198^th of 662 public high schools	70.1%		57.2	250^th of 641 public high schools	61.0%	52	74.7	77.6	35.1	83.3								$8,243	$402	$7,841
Southern Wake Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	5108 Old Powell Rd	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Southern Wake Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 567-9955	534	36	14.7		351 (65.7%)	55 (10.3%)	59 (11.0%)	15 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (9.7%)	10.7	600^th of 662 public high schools	9.4%		27	481^st of 641 public high schools	25.0%	119	33.3	45.8	10.9	29.2	38.9	32.2	22.6	41.7	55.9	49.2	54.1
Holly Springs High	Public	9-12	5329 Cass Holt Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 577-1444	2,018	103	19.6	13.8%	1,485 (73.6%)	156 (7.7%)	176 (8.7%)	120 (5.9%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	77 (3.8%)	83.3	120^th of 662 public high schools	81.9%		82.6	124^th of 641 public high schools	80.7%	4	87.5	86.5	65.2	88.1								$8,040	$403	$7,638

Frequently Asked Questions about STAR Academy

What district is STAR Academy in?

Harnett County Schools

Is STAR Academy a good school?

STAR Academy ranks in the bottom 3.8% of North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend STAR Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 31 students attended STAR Academy.

What is the racial makeup of STAR Academy?

Students at STAR Academy are 68% African American, 19% White, 13% Two or more races.

Rate STAR Academy!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.