Harnett County Schools School District

1008 South Eleventh St
Lillington, NC 27546
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Harnett County Schools School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 8 public middle schools serving 4,551 students in Harnett County Schools School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 3/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in North Carolina.
Public Middle Schools in Harnett County Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of 36% (versus the North Carolina public middle school average of 48%), and reading proficiency score of 41% (versus the 50% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 62% of the student body (majority Hispanic and Black), which is more than the North Carolina public middle school average of 56% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
29 Schools
882 Schools
# Students
20,032 Students
494,023 Students
# Teachers
1,274 Teachers
31,644 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
16:1
16:1

District Rank

Harnett County Schools School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 86% has increased from 81% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#241 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Harnett County Schools  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
38%
51%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Harnett County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
41%
50%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Harnett County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
54%
63%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Harnett County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
86%
86%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Harnett County Schools  School District and public school graduation rate of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.71
0.71
# American Indian Students
113 Students
5,633 Students
% American Indian Students
1%
1%
# Asian Students
161 Students
19,933 Students
% Asian Students
1%
4%
# Hispanic Students
5,467 Students
98,873 Students
% Hispanic Students
27%
20%
# Black Students
4,857 Students
122,407 Students
% Black Students
24%
25%
# White Students
7,882 Students
215,701 Students
% White Students
39%
44%
# Hawaiian Students
64 Students
646 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,489 Students
30,848 Students
% of Two or more races Students
8%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
270
1,882
# Students in K Grade:
1,463
16,660
# Students in 1st Grade:
1,501
16,806
# Students in 2nd Grade:
1,536
17,050
# Students in 3rd Grade:
1,420
16,530
# Students in 4th Grade:
1,531
16,849
# Students in 5th Grade:
1,448
19,618
# Students in 6th Grade:
1,468
111,560
# Students in 7th Grade:
1,475
116,793
# Students in 8th Grade:
1,505
119,029
# Students in 9th Grade:
1,915
12,380
# Students in 10th Grade:
1,590
10,877
# Students in 11th Grade:
1,600
9,420
# Students in 12th Grade:
1,310
8,569
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $9,523 in this school district is less than the state median of $11,187. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $9,670 is less than the state median of $11,612. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (NC)
Total Revenue
$191 MM
$17,307 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Harnett County Schools  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$194 MM
$17,964 MM
This chart displays total spending of Harnett County Schools  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$9,523
$11,187
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Harnett County Schools  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$9,670
$11,612
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Harnett County Schools  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Harnett County Schools School District Public Middle Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Western Harnett Middle School
(Math: 44% | Reading: 48%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
11135 Nc Hwy 27 West
Lillington, NC 27546
(919) 499-4497
Grades: 6-8
| 766 students
Rank: #22.
Overhills Middle School
(Math: 36% | Reading: 45%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
2711 Ray Road
Spring Lake, NC 28390
(910) 436-0009
Grades: 6-8
| 829 students
Rank: #33.
Highland Middle School
(Math: 41% | Reading: 41%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
345 Highland School Rd
Sanford, NC 27332
(919) 498-3331
Grades: 6-8
| 803 students
Rank: #44.
Harnett Virtual Academy
(Math: 15-19% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
108 Lafayette School Road
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
(919) 552-0769
Grades: K-12
| 123 students
Rank: #55.
Harnett Central Middle School
(Math: 34% | Reading: 40%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
2529 Harnett Central Rd
Angier, NC 27501
(919) 639-6000
Grades: 6-8
| 999 students
Rank: #66.
Coats-erwin Middle School
(Math: 31% | Reading: 39%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
2833 Nc Hwy 55e
Dunn, NC 28334
(910) 230-0300
Grades: 6-8
| 609 students
Rank: #77.
Dunn Middle School
(Math: 28% | Reading: 33%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
1301 Meadowlark Road
Dunn, NC 28334
(910) 892-1016
Grades: 6-8
| 399 students
Rank: #88.
Star Academy
Alternative School
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: ≤5%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
900 11th Street
Lillington, NC 27546
(910) 893-4072
Grades: 6-12
| 23 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 29 schools
  • Grades: PK-13
  • Enrollment: 20,032 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 16:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 61%
  • : 86% (Btm 50% in NC)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 38% (Btm 50%)
  • : 41% (Btm 50%)
  • : 54% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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