Photo: Gerry Dincher from Hope Mills, NC · CC BY-SA 2.0Southern Pines’s public schools outscore 70% of North Carolina districts
The grade covers the public school district serving Southern Pines, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within North Carolina, not nationally.
From North Carolina state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Southern Pines’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 232 North Carolina towns with household incomes within a quarter of Southern Pines’s, its schools beat 80%, higher than their 70% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 55% and math 56% in spring 2022, against 50% and 51% statewide; 92% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 86%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $11,763 per student, against $13,045 across North Carolina (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Two elementary schools, then seven middle and one high school
Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is up 7% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Moore Montessori Community School, The O'Neal School (private), St. John Paul II Catholic School (private) and Episcopal Day School (private) are in town. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Southern Pines’s grade
B+: better than 70% of North Carolina school districts, #41 of 290 North Carolina towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the North Carolina average; graduation is the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Southern Pines, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Southern Pines
Southern Pines Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 600 students · 16:1 students per teacher
Kindergarten in Southern Pines · depends on your address
McDeeds Creek Elementary
Grades K–5 · 707 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Southern Pines Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 600 students · 16:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Southern Pines · depends on your address
McDeeds Creek Elementary
Grades K–5 · 707 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Southern Pines Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 600 students · 16:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Southern Pines · depends on your address
McDeeds Creek Elementary
Grades K–5 · 707 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Southern Pines Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 600 students · 16:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Southern Pines · depends on your address
McDeeds Creek Elementary
Grades K–5 · 707 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Southern Pines Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 600 students · 16:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Southern Pines · depends on your address
McDeeds Creek Elementary
Grades K–5 · 707 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Southern Pines Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 600 students · 16:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Southern Pines · depends on your address
McDeeds Creek Elementary
Grades K–5 · 707 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Southern Pines Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 600 students · 16:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Southern Pines
Pinecrest High
Grades 9–12 · 2,290 students · 28:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Southern Pines
Pinecrest High
Grades 9–12 · 2,290 students · 28:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Southern Pines
Pinecrest High
Grades 9–12 · 2,290 students · 28:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Southern Pines
Pinecrest High
Grades 9–12 · 2,290 students · 28:1 students per teacher
Southern Pines’s public schools are run by Moore County Schools, which also serves Aberdeen, Cameron, Carthage and Foxfire and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Southern Pines vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the North Carolina towns that share Southern Pines’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Pines | B+ | Moore County Schools |
| Aberdeen | B+ | Moore County Schools |
| Carthage | B+ | Moore County Schools |
| Pinehurst | B+ | Moore County Schools |
| Whispering Pines | B+ | Moore County Schools |
All 4 neighbors share Moore County Schools with Southern Pines, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.
Every school in Southern Pines
14 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with North Carolina’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Left off: 1 public program with fewer than 25 students (Moore Innovative High School).
Questions about Southern Pines’s schools
Are Southern Pines’s schools good?
By North Carolina’s own tests, yes: the public schools Southern Pines children attend outscore 70% of North Carolina’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B+ Schools grade, #41 of 290 North Carolina towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 80%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Southern Pines in?
Moore County Schools, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 13,085 students in 23 schools (2024–25).
Where do Southern Pines kids go to high school?
Pinecrest High, with 2,290 students; its own test results earn an A.
What is Southern Pines’s graduation rate?
92% of the class of 2023 in Moore County Schools graduated in four years, against 86% across North Carolina.
How much does Southern Pines spend per student?
$11,763 in Moore County Schools (FY2024), against $13,045 across North Carolina. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Southern Pines?
Yes: The O'Neal School (nonsectarian, grades PK–12, 541 students), St. John Paul II Catholic School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 241 students) and Episcopal Day School (religious, grades PK–5, 229 students). Southern Pines also has 1 charter school, free and open by application.
Parents talk
What Southern Pines families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Southern Pines → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within North Carolina. Stars are from neighbors.