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How has Cape Fear Middle changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
430
Middle
DISTRICT 493 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370357002602
Cape Fear Middle
1886 NC Hwy 133, Rocky Point, NC 28457 · (910) 602-3334 · Pender County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL430 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 56% of North Carolina public middle schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public middle schools
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
426 students
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 142 | 33% |
| Grade 7 | 134 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 154 | 36% |
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
46.4%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
55.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
52.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Cape Fear Middle
Cape Fear Middle's state test result (52.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Fear Middle this school | 430 | 99.1% | 52.2% |
| Southeastern Randolph Middle School Ramseur | 463 | 99.1% | 35.8% |
| Erwin Middle Asheville | 545 | 99.4% | 36.6% |
| Four Oaks Middle Four Oaks | 477 | 98.1% | 59.4% |
| Central Middle Dobson | 502 | 99.4% | 51.4% |
| Midway Middle Dunn | 584 | 97.1% | 54.5% |
Matched among North Carolina middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Cape Fear Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.2% | #220 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.9% | #164 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.4% | #258 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 430 | #360 of 478 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #46 of 456 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 63.0% | #217 of 456 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.1% | #226 of 472 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.5% | #217 of 300 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
430
-28 (-6%) vs 2020
-9% since 2010-11, when it was 472
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 13.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 430 | 32 | 13.4:1 | 99% (426) |
| 2023-24 | 449 | 34 | 13.2:1 | 99% (446) |
| 2022-23 | 462 | 33 | 14.0:1 | 71% (326) |
| 2020-21 | 458 | 33 | 13.9:1 | 46% (209) |
| 2017-18 | 465 | 33.5 | 13.9:1 | 64% (297) |
| 2015-16 | 494 | 32 | 15.4:1 | 72% (355) |
| 2010-11 | 472 | 30 | 15.7:1 | 65% (305) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cape Fear Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (465 to 430); teachers down 4% (33.5 to 32).
About Cape Fear Middle
Rocky Point, North Carolina, is home to Cape Fear Middle, a small middle school. The school serves grades 6 through 8. Enrollment is 430 students. It has 29% fewer students than the average for middle schools in North Carolina (about 605).
Cape Fear Middle is run by Pender County Schools, whose 19 schools enroll 11,073 students.
White students account for 46% of enrollment at Cape Fear Middle, more than any other group. Other students are 38% Hispanic, 8% Black, and 7% multiracial. By comparison, Pender County residents are about 75% White. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Cape Fear Middle scores 63%.
Cape Fear Middle has 32 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.4:1. By comparison, the average for middle schools in North Carolina is 15.9:1. At Cape Fear Middle, 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. The rate at public schools in Pender County averages 70%, lower than here.
Cape Fear Middle earns a B on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 56% of North Carolina public middle schools.
The school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 52.2%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 48.6%.
In Pender County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $80,396, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 31%, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. The county has 19 public schools and about 11,073 students.
Pender Innovative Learning Academy, less than a tenth of a mile away, is the closest public school. Counting only straight-line distance, 6 other public schools are within five miles. Among the 8 closest schools with test data, this one included, Cape Fear Middle ranks 6th on average proficiency.
Under the NCES locale system, Cape Fear Middle is Rural: Fringe.
A 6% decrease took enrollment from 458 in 2020-21 to 430 in 2024-25.
On allk12, people connected to Cape Fear Middle can post about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Pender County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
65,550
Census ACS
Median income
$80,396
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
11,073 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pender County Schools
- Topsail HighHigh · 1,945 students
- Surf City ElementaryElementary · 857 students
- Topsail MiddleMiddle · 837 students
- Surf City MiddleMiddle · 752 students
- Heide Trask HighHigh · 732 students
- Pender HighHigh · 648 students
Other schools in Rocky Point
- Heide Trask HighHigh · 732 students
- Cape Fear ElementaryElementary · 533 students
- Rocky Point ElementaryElementary · 403 students
- Pender Innovative Learning AcademyCombined · 38 students
Nearby schools
- Pender Innovative Learning Academy0.0 mi · 38
- Cape Fear Elementary0.1 mi · 533
- Heide Trask High2.6 mi · 732
- Rocky Point Elementary2.7 mi · 403
- Castle Hayne Elementary4.0 mi · 531
- Holly Shelter Middle4.1 mi · 801
Frequently asked questions
About Cape Fear MiddleHow large is Cape Fear Middle?
Cape Fear Middle enrolls approximately 430 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Cape Fear Middle serve?
Cape Fear Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cape Fear Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Cape Fear Middle is approximately 13.4:1 (32 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Cape Fear Middle?
At Cape Fear Middle, the student body is approximately 46% White, 38% Hispanic, 8% Black, 0% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Cape Fear Middle in?
Cape Fear Middle is part of Pender County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.