Lucile Souders Elementary

Located at 128 Hillview Avenue, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Lucile Souders Elementary is a mid-tier K-5 school that enrolls 399 students (grades pre-K through 5), run under Cumberland County Schools.

Lucile Souders Elementary is one of 86 schools operated by Cumberland County Schools, a district that serves 49,002 students overall.

On demographics, Lucile Souders Elementary shows that 70% of the student body identifies as Black. The remainder breaks down as 15% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 6% White. That is noticeably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 38%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 99% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Cumberland County (around 86%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Lucile Souders Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 48.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 38.6%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Cumberland County) reports that median household earnings sit near $61,291, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 13%. In all, Cumberland County runs 89 public schools (combined enrollment of about 50,815 students), of which Lucile Souders Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Reid Ross Classical High, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Lucile Souders Elementary. On composite proficiency, Lucile Souders Elementary comes 4th of 7 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 43.3%.

The campus sits in a downtown setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Lucile Souders Elementary has fell 13%, going from 460 students in 2018 to 399 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share increased from 8% to 15%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.9:1 in 2018 to 13.8:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.