The combined effect of the embankment fill, piles and caps, and foundation soils on the load transfer characteristics of sparse capped-piled embankment is very significant. Using the modified cylindrical shear stress transfer model based on Marston soil pressure theory, a new calculation method for pile-soil stress ratio of sparse rigid pile composite foundation incorporating the arching effect in lime-soil and soil-pile interaction was presented. The presented method is verified by comparison between analytical solutions and the observed results from a practical project. In addition, a parametric study was also conducted to evaluate the influence of the embankment height, the cohesion of fill and pile-soil stiffness ratio on the pile-soil stress ratio.