Fayetteville recognizes the potential of its young people and works on continuous educational improvements both at the school and district level. Assessment data is carefully analyzed and shared with classroom teachers to allow them to tailor their instruction to fit the needs of individual students. In addition, they city’s Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment (CIA)department works to ensure that each student has a seamless transition to the next grade level in each subject area. The CIA teams works with teaching staff citywide to ensure that the curriculum is not only aligned with state standards, but also meets the needs of high-achieving students. The Kids for Health Program is presented in elementary schools to help students understand healthy lifestyles and how to begin making lifelong choices. The citywide Abstinence Program helps secondary students understand the consequences of making poor lifestyle, drug, or alcohol choices.

The school district also works closely with the Fayetteville Police Department, which provides School Resource Officers for city schools. These officers provide an educational and safety presence in the schools to protect students, faculty and staff and reduce the incidence of juvenile crime. Officers make classroom presentations and offer mentoring and other types of personal contact with students. The police department also implements the D.A.R.E. program to help students understand the dangers of drug use.

To meet the needs of "at risk" youth, the City recently constructed a new 18,000 square foot Skate Park that is free to the public. The Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of programming to meet the needs of Fayetteville residents of all ages. The department has won numerous awards for its programming including Top Department in the New South Division from the U.S. Specialty Sports Association and the recent recognition by Sports Illustrated Magazine as one of the Top 50 Sport Towns in America. The award specifically recognized Fayetteville’s grass roots community recreation programs and partnerships among city organizations including the Fayetteville Boys and Girls Club, Fayetteville Youth Baseball and others.