The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Science. The lowest is 51% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on New Century International Elementary
New Century International Elementary serves early grades from pre-kindergarten through fifth, sitting on Century Circle in Fayetteville within Cumberland County Schools. The school enrolls a small-to-moderate population, nearly all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially diverse, with Black students making up the largest share, followed by white and Hispanic students in meaningful proportions, and smaller Asian, multiracial, and American Indian populations. The data collected does not include information about English learner or special education enrollment, nor about discipline, attendance, or staffing patterns.
On state End-of-Grade assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, proficiency rates across grades three through five show mixed performance. Reading proficiency stood at a modest level just above half of tested students meeting the benchmark. Math proficiency was similar. Science, tested only in one grade band, showed higher proficiency. These results place the school in a range where parents may want to look into current instruction and school-level supports to understand the academic pathway and what's driving the ceiling in reading and math. State testing data was not available for earlier years, so trend and longer-term direction cannot be determined from the records here.
The school sits in Fayetteville, a mid-sized city anchored by Fort Liberty (the Army's Airborne and Special Operations Forces base) and shaped by continuous military family mobility. The downtown core has walkable cultural anchors including the Market House, Festival Park, Hay Street restaurants and shops, and the Cape Fear River Trail, though most of the city is car-dependent. Neighborhoods experience high turnover as military families cycle through assignments. Housing in the 28306 zip code where the school sits is modestly valued and renting is common, with affordability identified as a top community concern. Employment centers on the military presence and its contractor ecosystem, Cape Fear Valley Health, and county schools and government.
The district is in the midst of substantial restructuring. In 2026, the Board of Education approved a major facilities consolidation plan triggered by repair needs across its building stock. The plan includes closing schools, reassigning students, and shifting some schools away from year-round to traditional calendars. The school closures Manchester Elementary and J.W. Coon have already been voted and will take effect; more are expected through the statutory process. This is reshaping attendance zones and school communities across the county. Additionally, the district has a structural budget deficit following the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds in September 2024, meaning it is drawing from reserves to cover recurring costs including staffing and services. Beginning in 2026-27, military families residing on Fort Liberty gained access to all ten comprehensive high schools rather than just E.E. Smith, though transportation services were not expanded for the change.
For a family considering New Century, the immediate landscape includes solid science performance at grade level, reading and math proficiency below the district expectation, a high-poverty student body, and a district undergoing consolidation and budget constraint. The school's small enrollment and pre-K through 5 scope mean there is no graduation rate to assess. Parents should expect potential boundary changes or program shifts as the district consolidates facilities and may want to discuss directly with school leadership what support exists for students below benchmark in reading and math, and how the school is using the data to shape instruction.
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