Harnett County Schools & Education
Harnett County, North Carolina
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
24/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
87.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
87.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 88.0%
Per-Pupil Spending
$5,985
National avg $13,239
State avg $6,969
School Score
24/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 40/100
State Score Position
#93
of 100 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Harnett County
Measured School Summary
Harnett County faces educational challenges with a school score of 24/100 and a graduation rate of 87.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $5,985 per pupil, Harnett County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 41% below the North Carolina average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 1.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 14% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Harnett County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
30 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
24/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #93 of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data.
Completion
87.0%
1.0 pts below the state average
Funding context
$5,985
$984 below the state average
School coverage
30
3 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Harnett County has 30 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Harnett County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Dominant-district county
Harnett County Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 28 of 30 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.
State position
#93
of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 16 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Harnett County Schools
Elementary to high school visible
20,050 students
28 listed schools in this county slice.
Anderson Creek Academy
Elementary school only in this slice
288 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
Achievement Charter Academy
Elementary school only in this slice
158 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
District reality check
Harnett County Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 28 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Harnett County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Harnett County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Harnett County Per-Pupil Spending Below State and National Levels
Education data brief for Harnett County, North Carolina.
Harnett County reports a per-pupil expenditure of $5,985, a figure notably lower than the North Carolina state average of $6,969 and less than half of the national average of $13,000. This spending level supports 30 public schools serving 20,496 students. The largest district, Harnett County Schools, operates 28 institutions, including Overhills High, which has the county's largest enrollment at 1,971 students. While the county's graduation rate of 87.0% matches the national average, it sits slightly below the state average of 88.0%. The composite school score of 23.7 is considerably lower than the state's 40.3 and the national median of 50.0. Most schools in the county are located in rural or town settings, with 17 rural and 9 town locales identified. Two charter schools operate within the county, including Anderson Creek Academy. These metrics reflect the financial and academic status of the local school system. For further analysis, examine individual district budget reports through the NCES Common Core of Data.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
30
in Harnett County
Reported Enrollment
20,496
30 schools reporting
School Districts
3
districts
Charter Schools
2
7% of total
School Level Breakdown
3 School Districts in Harnett County
Harnett County Schools
GuideAnderson Creek Academy
Achievement Charter Academy
30 Public Schools in Harnett County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 6 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 20 of 30 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overhills High | Profile | Harnett County Schools | Spring Lake, 28390Suburb: Large | 9–12 | High | 1,971 |
| Harnett Central High | Profile | Harnett County Schools | Angier, 27501Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 1,474 |
| Western Harnett High | Profile | Harnett County Schools | Lillington, 27546Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 1,386 |
| Triton High | Profile | Harnett County Schools | Erwin, 28339Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 1,287 |
| Benhaven Elementary | Profile | Harnett County Schools | Sanford, 27332Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 1,030 |
| Harnett Central Middle | Profile | Harnett County Schools | Angier, 27501Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 1,024 |
| Overhills Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Spring Lake, 28390Suburb: Large | PK–5 | Primary | 930 |
| Highland Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Sanford, 27330Town: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 891 |
| Highland Middle | Record | Harnett County Schools | Sanford, 27332Town: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 875 |
| Western Harnett Middle | Record | Harnett County Schools | Lillington, 27546Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 820 |
| Dunn Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Dunn, 28334Town: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 799 |
| Overhills Middle | Record | Harnett County Schools | Spring Lake, 28390Suburb: Large | 6–8 | Middle | 799 |
| Lillington-Shawtown Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Lillington, 27546Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 694 |
| Coats Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Coats, 27521Town: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 671 |
| LaFayette Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Kipling, 27543Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 625 |
| Coats-Erwin Middle | Record | Harnett County Schools | Dunn, 28334Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 606 |
| Anderson Creek Primary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Bunnlevel, 28323Rural: Fringe | PK–2 | Primary | 582 |
| Erwin Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Erwin, 28339Town: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 562 |
| Boone Trail Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Mamers, 27552Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 507 |
| Johnsonville Elementary | Record | Harnett County Schools | Cameron, 28326Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 475 |
Overhills High
Harnett County Schools
Spring Lake, 28390 / Suburb: Large
Harnett Central High
Harnett County Schools
Angier, 27501 / Rural: Fringe
Western Harnett High
Harnett County Schools
Lillington, 27546 / Rural: Fringe
Triton High
Harnett County Schools
Erwin, 28339 / Rural: Fringe
Benhaven Elementary
Harnett County Schools
Sanford, 27332 / Rural: Fringe
Harnett Central Middle
Harnett County Schools
Angier, 27501 / Rural: Fringe
Overhills Elementary
Harnett County Schools
Spring Lake, 28390 / Suburb: Large
Western Harnett Middle
Harnett County Schools
Lillington, 27546 / Rural: Fringe
Lillington-Shawtown Elementary
Harnett County Schools
Lillington, 27546 / Rural: Fringe
LaFayette Elementary
Harnett County Schools
Kipling, 27543 / Rural: Fringe
Anderson Creek Primary
Harnett County Schools
Bunnlevel, 28323 / Rural: Fringe
Boone Trail Elementary
Harnett County Schools
Mamers, 27552 / Rural: Distant
Johnsonville Elementary
Harnett County Schools
Cameron, 28326 / Rural: Fringe
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$5,985
State avg $6,969
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Harnett County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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What is the graduation rate in Harnett County?
How much does Harnett County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.