Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Fayetteville, North Carolina - 86 schools
An equity score of 65/100 ranks Cumberland County Schools #65 of 297 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,118 per pupil, Cumberland County Schools ranks #154 of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Cumberland County Schools operates 86 public schools serving 49,661 students, placing it among the largest districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 35 combined, 18 elementary, 17 high, 16 middle schools, giving families in a major system a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a large portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cumberland County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,118 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 16.5% local, 57.7% state, and 25.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 65/100, ranked #65 of 297 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 14 of 86 schools offering Advanced Placement (134 AP courses district-wide), a 318:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 40.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 47.1% African American, 22.7% White, 16.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Stoney Point Elementary, with a diversity index of 77.6/100.
Its largest campus is Jack Britt High, enrolling 1,940 students (4% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Howard Learning Academy, at 8 students, a 243x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Cumberland County Schools school enrollment ranges from 8 students (lowest) to 1,940 students (highest), a spread of 1,932 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share is at least 75%, indicating a high concentration of measured economic need. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Cumberland County Schools is typically wider than the Cumberland County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 86 schools in Cumberland County Schools.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Cumberland County Schools's schools, above the North Carolina average of 56.1.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The North Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Union County Public Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Johnston County Public Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Cabarrus County Schools | Smaller | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Durham Public Schools | Smaller | Higher spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Cumberland County Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Wake County Schools →Cumberland County Schools has 86 schools, including 17 high, 16 middle, 35 combined, 18 elementary. Total enrollment is 49,661 students.
Cumberland County Schools spends $12,118 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #65 in North Carolina.
Cumberland County Schools students are 47.1% African American, 22.7% White, 16.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.9% Asian, averaged across 86 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Cumberland County Schools has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #65 out of 297 districts in North Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.