Original Research by School Decision on The Capitol Encore Academy
The Capitol Encore Academy is a kindergarten-through-12th-grade charter district in Fayetteville, North Carolina, serving just under one thousand students. The school began as a K-8 arts-integration program and underwent a major expansion within the past few years, adding high school grades and moving into a newly renovated downtown building. For families, the transformation means a child can now complete their entire K-12 education within the same program and philosophical approach, rather than having to transition elsewhere after 8th grade.
The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. Black students make up a substantial plurality of the enrollment, followed by white students and a meaningful Hispanic population. Students of two or more races represent a sizable share as well. Data on students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, students with individualized education plans, and English learners were not available in the records reviewed, so a parent interested in the school's support infrastructure for economically disadvantaged students or those with disabilities may want to look into this further with the school directly.
Enrollment in the lower grades is fairly consistent, but a striking drop occurs in the high school grades. Ninth grade serves a notably smaller cohort than 8th grade, and enrollment in 10th through 12th grades falls sharply. This pattern could reflect the school's recent addition of high school grades, meaning the upper classes do not yet reflect a full cohort moving through the system, or it could indicate that some students leave after middle school. A parent considering enrollment in these grades would benefit from understanding whether this is a temporary enrollment ramp-up or a broader pattern.
State assessment results for the Capitol Encore Academy were not available in the data reviewed. Without proficiency rates across tested subjects, it is difficult to gauge academic performance against state benchmarks or the school's standing among other Cumberland County districts. The school's website or the school itself can provide this information.
A four-year graduation rate was also not reported, so prospective families cannot yet assess how the high school cohorts have progressed to completion. Given that 12th grade serves only a handful of students at this moment, graduation data may not yet be stable or publicly reported.
On chronic absenteeism, the Capitol Encore Academy reports a rate that sits above the midpoint among the Cumberland County districts for which data was available. This is a soft spot worth understanding. Parents may want to ask the school about attendance policies and support, and whether the rate reflects broader economic or logistical barriers students face, or something specific to school culture or scheduling.
Per-pupil spending at the Capitol Encore Academy falls in the middle-to-upper range among the county's districts, indicating a reasonably resourced operation, though specific program details such as course offerings, staffing ratios, or specialized supports were not provided in the available data.
The school's arts-integration mission shapes its academic identity. Beyond that philosophical anchor, information about curriculum breadth, dual-credit pathways, career offerings, or other program specifics was not available and would be worth exploring directly with the school. The recent expansion to a full K-12 model is a genuine change in what the school offers families: continuity of an arts-centered approach from entry through graduation, housed in a walkable downtown location with two connected campuses. Whether that model and that environment fit a family's needs and values is a personal question, and the school itself is the best resource for understanding how the program operates in practice.
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