Cape Fear High

Located at 4762 Clinton Road, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cape Fear High is a high-enrollment four-year high school that hosts 1,515 students (grades 9 through 12), part of Cumberland County Schools. That puts it 99% above the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 761 students.

Cumberland County Schools runs 86 schools in total, collectively educating 49,002 students. Cape Fear High is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Cape Fear High lists that 46% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder breaks down as 27% Black, 14% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 3% Native American. That composition is broadly in line with Cumberland County as a whole.

On the income-and-resources front, Cape Fear High reports 65 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 23.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 19.6:1, putting Cape Fear High higher than the state norm the norm. Around 55% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Cumberland County runs at roughly 86%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Cape Fear High tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 62.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 55.2%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Cumberland County put median household earnings sit near $61,291, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. Across Cumberland County's 89 public schools (combined enrollment of about 50,815 students), Cape Fear High is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Mac Williams Middle, around 0.2 miles off. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Cape Fear High ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 58.8%.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cape Fear High has changed only slightly, going from 1,482 students in 2018 to 1,515 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 54% to 46% over that span. Class-load math has widened: from 17.2:1 in 2018 to 23.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.