Enrollment
2,223
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Fuquay Varina, NC
Willow Spring High
Federal NCES profile for Willow Spring High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370472003570
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Willow Spring High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27.4:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 26.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 2,223
- students enrolled
Willow Spring High has class sizes larger than 97% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Wake County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370472003570 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
81.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Willow Spring High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Willow Spring High
Willow Spring High is a large high school in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, enrolling 2,223 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.4:1 is larger than about 97% of North Carolina schools and 73% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 26.5% free-meal eligibility runs 60% below the North Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,223 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 58 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #34.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 62/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 741 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students) and Enloe High (2,643 students) alongside Willow Spring High.
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 Willow Spring High compares
Willow Spring High on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27.4:1 | ▲ 73% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.5% | ▼ 60% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,223 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.4:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,223
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
27.4:1
students per teacher
- 73% above state mean
Top 97% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
9.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,859
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 741 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
133
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 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
White 56.2%
Hispanic or Latino 20.9%
African American 14.3%
Asian 4.5%
Two or More 3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.7, Willow Spring High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake County Schools, which includes Willow Spring High.
$11,859
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.6%
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 Willow Spring High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Friendship High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Enloe High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Panther Creek High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Millbrook High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Apex High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Willow Spring High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,748
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,643
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,609
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,498
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,449
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar high 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.
Similar enrollment (~2,223 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Willow Spring High's federal record.
- Compare Willow Spring High against another school. Compare schools
- Wake 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 Willow Spring High
How many students attend Willow Spring High?
Willow Spring High has 2,223 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fuquay Varina, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow Spring High?
The student-teacher ratio at Willow Spring High is 27.4:1, which is 73% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 75% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Willow Spring High?
26.5% of students at Willow Spring High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Willow Spring High?
The largest demographic group at Willow Spring High is White at 56.2% of enrollment, in Fuquay Varina, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willow Spring High?
Willow Spring High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Willow Spring High a good school?
Willow Spring High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest 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 Wake County Schools?
Besides Willow Spring High, Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students), Enloe High (2,643 students), and Panther Creek High (2,609 students). See the Wake 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.