Original Research by School Decision on Phillips High
Phillips High is a small alternative high school in Raleigh serving grades 9 through 12. The school has an enrollment of roughly 125 students, with the largest cohort in 10th grade and progressively smaller cohorts in 11th and 12th. This size and composition reflect the nature of alternative schools: they serve students who need a different educational pathway than the traditional comprehensive high school model.
The student body is economically disadvantaged. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting real economic stress among families served. The enrollment is racially and ethnically diverse, with students identifying as Black, Hispanic, and white making up the great majority, along with a small share of students from multiple racial backgrounds and no representation of Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaska Native students.
The school data does not include state proficiency test results, a four-year graduation rate, chronic absenteeism figures, or information about the prevalence of special education or English learner services. This absence of standardized outcome measures is common for alternative schools, which may operate outside traditional testing and accountability structures, or may not submit data in the same format as comprehensive schools. A parent interested in academic outcomes at Phillips should contact the school directly to understand how it measures student progress and what achievement data it tracks.
Phillips is part of Wake County Schools, one of North Carolina's largest districts. The district is in the midst of significant growth and change. Wake voters approved a major school construction bond in 2022 that is funding five new schools and renovations to seven existing ones, a capital project that reshapes where children attend school and increases homeowner property taxes. The district has also adopted a science-of-reading approach to elementary literacy instruction and implemented a district-wide cellphone policy beginning in the 2025-26 school year, under which high school students face restrictions on device use during instructional time. Large student reassignments continue as new schools open and the district works to balance enrollment across its growing network.
Raleigh itself is experiencing rapid growth and major mixed-use development across downtown, Midtown, and other areas. Tech, healthcare, higher education, and professional services dominate the local economy, and housing values in the school's zip code are at a mid-market level, with both purchase and rental affordability somewhat above the national benchmark. The city blends a walkable downtown core with primarily car-dependent residential neighborhoods and a substantial greenway system. This growth and economic activity shape the broader context in which Phillips operates, though as an alternative school serving a lower-income student population, the school's own immediate catchment may reflect different conditions than the city's more affluent areas.
Alternative schools like Phillips typically serve students who have struggled in or are not a fit for traditional high school structures. Parents considering this school should reach out to the district and the school to understand its philosophy, programming, any specialized services it offers, and how it defines and measures student success.
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