The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Science. The lowest is 41% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Brentwood Elementary
Brentwood Elementary is a public elementary school in Fayetteville serving early childhood through fifth grade, situated in the Cumberland County Schools district. The school has an enrollment of about five hundred students, with children spread across pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of white, multiracial, Asian, and Native American students. Nearly all students, an extremely high proportion, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic hardship in the school community. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations was not available.
On state end-of-grade assessments administered in spring 2025, Brentwood's proficiency rates in tested subjects and grades fell below the midpoint. In math, roughly less than half of students tested met or exceeded proficiency. In English language arts, the proportion meeting proficiency was notably lower. In science, tested only at certain grades, the proficiency rate was closer to the midpoint. The school tests students in grades three through five; earlier grades do not take state assessments. North Carolina changed both the science assessment name and cut score for 2025, so direct year-to-year science comparison is not available.
Fayetteville itself is a mid-sized city anchored by Fort Liberty and shaped by military migration; many families cycle through the area as service members are stationed and reassigned. The city is predominantly car-dependent, though downtown along Hay Street has walkable neighborhoods and civic anchors including Festival Park, Segra Stadium, and cultural venues. The broader metro area is growing modestly, with new residential development gravitating toward Fort Liberty and commercial projects like Camden Commons in Hope Mills. Housing affordability has emerged as a top community concern in city planning.
The Cumberland County Schools district is currently undergoing major structural change. In 2025 and 2026, the district identified over four hundred million dollars in facility repair needs across its buildings and voted to close multiple elementary schools, including Manchester Elementary and J.W. Coon, reassigning students to other attendance zones. This consolidation is expected to continue, reshaping school communities and busing routes across the county. The district also ended pandemic-relief federal funding in 2024, creating a structural budget deficit that is being covered by drawing down fund balance, a practice that sustains current staffing and programs only in the near term. Additionally, high school students residing on Fort Bragg now have choice to enroll in any of the district's comprehensive high schools rather than being limited to a single school, beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
These district-level shifts affect all schools in Cumberland County, including Brentwood. The ongoing consolidation and budget pressures are likely to shape class sizes, program offerings, and staffing in coming years. For families considering Brentwood or other county elementary schools, the timing of enrollment should account for potential zone changes tied to closures and for the district's medium-term fiscal position. A parent may want to follow the district's ongoing closure and consolidation timeline with the school directly to understand how Brentwood's enrollment, staffing, and operations may shift in the near term.
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