Enrollment
8
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fayetteville, NC
Howard Learning Academy
Federal NCES profile for Howard Learning Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370001102087
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 98
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Howard Learning Academy earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- #2 of 14
- elementary schools in Fayetteville · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 81.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 8
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Learning Academy ranks #2 of 14 elementary schools in Fayetteville, NC.
School address
District: Cumberland County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370001102087 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Free-lunch eligible
81.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+23% vs state
What stands out at Howard Learning Academy
Howard Learning Academy is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, enrolling 8 students.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of North Carolina schools, with 8 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 8 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 167 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 8 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Fayetteville's elementary schools, it stands alongside E Melvin Honeycutt Elementary (782 students): Howard Learning Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Cumberland County Schools also operates Jack Britt High (1,940 students) and Pine Forest High (1,551 students) alongside Howard Learning Academy.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Howard Learning Academy compares
Howard Learning Academy on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.3% | ▲ 23% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 8 | top 100% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Funding equity
$12,412
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 8 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
39
in-school suspensions + 128 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 487.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2087.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 37.5%
Hispanic or Latino 25.0%
Two or More 25.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 12.5%
Largest group: African American at 37.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.9, Howard Learning Academy is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cumberland County Schools, which includes Howard Learning Academy.
$12,412
Per student
+3%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Howard Learning Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Britt High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Pine Forest High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Cape Fear High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| South View High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Gray's Creek High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Howard Learning Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,940
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,551
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,515
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,461
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,458
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Fayetteville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
E Melvin Honeycutt Elementary
Standard public school
782 students 14:1 students per teacher
Stoney Point Elementary
Standard public school
780 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Howard L Hall Elementary
Standard public school
539 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Vanstory Hills Elementary
Standard public school
514 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Morganton Road Elementary
Standard public school
491 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
College Lakes Elementary
Standard public school
459 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Howard Learning Academy's federal record.
- Compare Howard Learning Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Cumberland County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Howard Learning Academy
How many students attend Howard Learning Academy?
Howard Learning Academy has 8 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fayetteville, NC.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Howard Learning Academy?
81.3% of students at Howard Learning Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard Learning Academy?
The largest demographic group at Howard Learning Academy is African American at 37.5% of enrollment, in Fayetteville, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard Learning Academy?
Howard Learning Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Howard Learning Academy rank among elementary schools in Fayetteville?
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Learning Academy ranks #2 of 14 elementary schools in Fayetteville, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Fayetteville on the city page.
Is Howard Learning Academy a good school?
Howard Learning Academy earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Cumberland County Schools?
Besides Howard Learning Academy, Cumberland County Schools also operates Jack Britt High (1,940 students), Pine Forest High (1,551 students), and Cape Fear High (1,515 students). See the Cumberland County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.