The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Margaret Willis Elementary
Margaret Willis Elementary serves a small student body spread across prekindergarten through fifth grade in a residential pocket of Fayetteville near Belvedere Avenue. The school sits on the eastern edge of Cumberland County's school footprint, which is currently undergoing major reorganization around facilities repair and consolidation. For families considering this school, the context matters: the district has just closed two schools and plans more consolidations through its statutory process, has shifted from year-round to traditional calendars at some schools, and is reshaping attendance zones and busing across the system. Margaret Willis itself does not appear in the closure announcements so far, but families should verify its long-term standing with the district before committing.
The student body is economically disadvantaged across nearly all measures. An overwhelming share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school serves a majority Black student population, with smaller groups of Hispanic, multiracial, and white students. A very small fraction identify as Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. These are the concrete characteristics of who sits in the classroom; they reflect Fayetteville's demographics and the school's catchment, not a judgment.
Academic performance is below what many families would want to see. In the most recent state End-of-Grade tests, proficiency in mathematics hovered around the midpoint, while English language arts and science fell notably lower. Science testing was administered under a new assessment in a new grade configuration, which the state flagged as making year-to-year comparison unreliable, so comparisons to prior years should be treated with caution. State testing data was not available for the youngest grades the school serves. These are the students in grades three through five; prekindergarten through second grade are not tested under state assessment. The scale scores themselves were not reported by the state, so we cannot see how far below or above proficiency students actually scored. A parent considering Margaret Willis would benefit from a deeper conversation with the school about how these proficiency patterns play out day-to-day, what targeted supports are in place for the areas where fewer students are meeting grade-level standards, and what the school's trajectory looks like as the district's broader staffing and consolidation decisions unfold.
Enrollment is small for an elementary school. The school runs roughly balanced grades in the early years with slightly smaller cohorts in the upper elementary band. Prekindergarten is offered on site.
Fayetteville itself is a mid-sized city shaped by proximity to Fort Liberty and anchored by a historic downtown along Hay Street that is undergoing renewal. The broader Fayetteville metro is growing modestly, pulled by military migration and talent drawn from higher-cost areas. The city itself is car-dependent; walking is viable only in the downtown core and Haymount neighborhood. Housing in the zip code is moderately priced, with median home values below the state average. Rents have risen over the past year. The area's largest employers are the Department of Defense and its contractor network, Cape Fear Valley Health, and county institutions like schools and Fayetteville Technical Community College. Unemployment is at the national midpoint. Major civic draws include Festival Park and the Cape Fear River Trail, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, and the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, though many require a car to reach.
Margaret Willis is a regular public school with no charter, magnet, or special-purpose designation. Information on English learner enrollment, special education rates, staffing, attendance, and discipline was not available. The school website address was not provided, so prospective families should contact Cumberland County Schools directly for additional details on programs, calendar structure, and how the ongoing district consolidation might affect the school's near-term operations.
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