Best High Schools in Zip Code 28304

ZIP code 28304 in Fayetteville, NC is home to two large public high schools — Seventy-First High and Douglas Byrd High — both serving grades 9 through 12 within Cumberland County Schools, a district ranked in the 43rd percentile statewide. Together, these schools enroll more than 2,300 students, and both serve very high-poverty populations, with roughly 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Within this ZIP code, Seventy-First High is the clear standout. It ranks in the 30th percentile statewide with a 1-star rating, and graduates 90.2% of its students — a rate that actually exceeds the state average of 88.8%. It also holds a 35.5% chronic absenteeism rate, well below its neighbor's. Seventy-First outperforms Douglas Byrd on every end-of-course test, with the largest gaps in Math III (56.7% proficiency vs. 32.3%) and Biology (51.4% vs. 37.6%). Douglas Byrd, by contrast, ranks in just the 13th percentile with a 78.4% graduation rate and an extremely high 64.5% chronic absenteeism rate. Strikingly, Douglas Byrd spent $10,626 per student compared to $8,861 at Seventy-First, yet has weaker outcomes across nearly every category.

The two schools have diverged sharply since 2023–24, when their state rankings were nearly identical. Since then, Seventy-First has improved by 29 spots, while Douglas Byrd has fallen 91 spots. Seventy-First also posted remarkable year-over-year gains in Biology (up 20.1 points) and Math I (up 14.7 points), while Douglas Byrd largely flatlined. Both schools struggle in Math III and remain below district and state averages on all standardized tests, though Seventy-First's recent momentum and higher graduation rate signal a more positive trajectory. Given the schools' similar poverty profiles and shared district leadership, the outcome gap suggests that school climate, absenteeism, and local improvement efforts play an outsized role. For families, Seventy-First currently represents the stronger choice in this area, while Douglas Byrd remains a high-need school where additional funding has not yet produced comparable results.