Fayetteville Street Elementary

Fayetteville Street Elementary is a modestly sized elementary-level community in Durham, North Carolina, overseen by Durham Public Schools. The school hosts 261 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 467 students per school, that is 44% smaller than typical.

Fayetteville Street Elementary is one of 55 schools operated by Durham Public Schools, a district that works with 31,797 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Fayetteville Street Elementary records that 46% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 46% Black, 6% Asian. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 16%.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Fayetteville Street Elementary has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.7:1. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 97% of students at Fayetteville Street Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

After controlling for student poverty, Fayetteville Street Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 49.1%; this one delivers 39.6%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Durham County indicate the typical household earns roughly $82,316 per year, about 55% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Across Durham County's 74 public schools (combined enrollment of about 46,109 students), Fayetteville Street Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: James E Shepard Middle, around 0.3 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Fayetteville Street Elementary at 8th of 9; the average score across the group is 54.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Fayetteville Street Elementary has contracted 7%, going from 282 students in 2018 to 261 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment declined from 62% to 46% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 15.9:1 in 2018 to 12.7:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Fayetteville Street Elementary community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.