Education

If you live on base, in government housing, or will receive government housing within 90 school days (approximately five months), you may enroll your children in the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) run Fort Bragg Schools system.

Irwin Middle School - Located on Fort Bragg, it serves children in grades five and six. Students will be bused from Pope Army Airfield.

Albritton Junior High School - Located on Fort Bragg, it serves children from grades seven to nine. Students will be bused from Pope Army Airfield.

E. E. Smith High School - Children in grades ten to twelve and living in base housing will be bused to Cumberland County Schools E. E. Smith High School.

Standardized test scores for the Pope Army Airfield Schools listed above are available through the DoDEA Data Center (see them listed under Fort Bragg).

If you live on base, or will receive government housing within 90 school days, you may enroll your children in the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) run Fort Bragg Schools system:

• The Pope Elementary School has closed it's doors and those families living on base with children will be assigned to one of the 10 elementary schools location on Fort Bragg's Installation.
• Albritton Middle School - Located on Fort Bragg, it serves children from grades sixth to eight. Students will be bused from Pope Army Airfield.
• E. E. Smith High School - Children in grades nine to twelve and living in base housing will be bused to Cumberland County Schools E. E. Smith High School.

Standardized test scores for the Pope Army Airfield Schools listed above are available through the DoDEA Data Center (see them listed under Fort Bragg).

Local School Districts:

• Cumberland County Schools
• Fort Bragg Schools
• Harnett County Schools
• Hoke County Schools
• Lee County Schools
• Moore County Schools

Visit the School Liaison website for more information.

There is one very important thing to know for newcomers with school age children: When arriving at Pope it is critical to find a home as fast as possible. A catch - 22 exists for people staying on-base in lodging. Because they are on-base, on government property, they cannot be enrolled in local (Cumberland County, Harnett County, etc.) schools. If you will not receive on-base housing within 90 days, they cannot be enrolled in the DODEA run schools on the installation. Basically, they are without a school. If you are in temporary lodging off-base (local hotel or temporary lodging facility) you may enroll your child(ren) in the school whose catchments area serves the hotel. Once you find a house (renting or buying) all you need to do is present the school that serves your new area with a rental agreement or purchase agreement form and your child can be enrolled (whether they are in their new location or still in billeting waiting to move). Call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at Pope Army Airfield if you have questions regarding this policy. For more information please call 910-907-0200 or visit the DODEA North Carolina Fort Bragg District website.

Irwin Elementary School - Located on Fort Bragg, it serves children in grades third - fifth. Students will be bused from Pope Army Airfield housing areas.

Albritton Middle School - Located on Fort Bragg, it serves children from grades sixth - eighth.

Students are assigned to schools based on the geographical location of their legal guardian's residence.

Grading system: 100-93=A 92-85=B 84-77=C 76-70=D Below 70= Failure.

Students transferring from another school system should take their immunization record, report card and withdrawal slip from their previous school to enroll at their new school. The school or the Cumberland County Health Department will provide a kindergarten health assessment form.

High school students living in government quarters attend E. E. Smith High School.

Cumberland County School Board Policy is that students must attend school 90% of the time. That means 18 absences per year. If a child exceeds that number of absences, the individual school can make a determination whether that student will be promoted. According to the School Board office, the individual school principals like to keep in line with Board policy if they can. This means that if your child has a number of absences already, or has started his/her school year later than North Carolina, or is in billeting without attending school for a protracted length of time, you will have to request the school principal waive the Board attendance policy in order to have the child promoted.

Evaluating Schools

In order to narrow down your housing search to areas with good schools, you may want to use test scores to determine what school you would like your child(ren) to attend. If you wish to evaluate public schools, current standardized test scores from all North Carolina public school can be found on the North Carolina Internet homepage. Pope personnel generally live in Cumberland, Harnett, Moore, Lee, or Hoke counties. If you do not have access to the Internet at home, PCSing is an official function, therefore you may use your internet access at work to research your move, or visit your Military and Family Readiness Center to go online. It is very important that members select a school that will meet their child's educational needs and not just look at the test scores.

Once you have determined the school districts you are interested in, contact the county school board to determine the housing areas within those schools' catchments areas. Many realtors are knowledgeable about school districts. However, some are better than others and redistricting may have changed catchments areas, so it is good to double check with the school board.

High test scores sometimes indicate abilities of the student population and not necessarily the quality of the instruction. On the test results webpage, scores are indicated along with whether each school has met or exceeded expectations. Review the scores, but also notice whether the school itself has performed well.

There are a great number of private schools in the Fayetteville area. Most have church affiliation, some are secular. Tuition rates vary greatly. If you make inquiries to private schools, be sure to find out if bus transportation is available and the cost. Ask about accreditation.  Contact School Liaison Officer at  910 908-2619, 910 432-1023, or 910 396-3338, or email at bragg_schoolliaison@army.mil

For information about Adult Education please refer to Education - Training (College/Technical) topic. Pope AAF can be reached at 910-394-4692.

Two new schools opened their doors this year in the area. Capitol Encore Academy, a charter school with a focus on the arts, opened at 126 Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville. The school plans to integrate the arts into core academics for about 260 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. On Fort Bragg, Kimberly Hampton Primary School opened with approximately 620 students in kindergarten through second grade. The school will be the first 21st -century school for the Defense Department's Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools office and will have many digital resources. For more information on Fort Bragg schools visit the website or call 910-907-0200.