Enrollment
1,515
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370001100402
Cape Fear High — Fayetteville, NC
Federal NCES profile for Cape Fear High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 26
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 19
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Cumberland County Schools · North Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
83.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cape Fear High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Cape Fear High reports 1,515 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 83.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the North Carolina average and 14% below the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 379 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cumberland County Schools spends $12,982 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.7% from the state, and 25.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cape Fear High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▲ 12% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.8% | ▼ 32% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,515 | top 96% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
44.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 85% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,982
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 379 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
99
in-school suspensions + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,515 Top 96% in North Carolina — larger than 4% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 83.0
Students per teacher 18.4:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.8% -32% vs state
NCES ID 370001100402
Student demographics
White 46.1%
African American 26.8%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Two or More 8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.7%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 46.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 379:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.4%
In-school suspensions 99
Out-of-school suspensions 84
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cumberland County Schools, which includes Cape Fear High.
$12,982
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 57.7%
Federal 25.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,940
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,551
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,461
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,458
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,332
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar high schools in Fayetteville
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Jack Britt High
Standard public school
1,940 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Pine Forest High
Standard public school
1,551 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Seventy-First High
Standard public school
1,332 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Westover High
Standard public school
1,234 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Terry Sanford High
Standard public school
1,201 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
E E Smith High
Standard public school
1,017 students 17:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Cape Fear High
How many students attend Cape Fear High?
Cape Fear High has 1,515 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fayetteville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cape Fear High?
The student-teacher ratio at Cape Fear High is 18.4:1, which is 12% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cape Fear High?
44.8% of students at Cape Fear High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cape Fear High?
The largest demographic group at Cape Fear High is White at 46.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fayetteville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cape Fear High?
Cape Fear High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.