Two middle schools (G. James Gholson and Kenmoor, both in Landover) feed into Fairmont Heights.

Due to its capacity of 900 students,[3] it was one of the four largest senior high schools in Prince George's County; the others were Bladensburg, Northwestern, and Suitland.

"[4] In the era of legally required segregation it served black students in western Prince George's County, Accokeek, Bowie, Laurel, Takoma Park, and other communities;[3] this meant it served about 66% of the PGCPS black high school students.

[3] The school district desegregated after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964; it began having particular attendance boundaries for all races.

Fairmont Heights High's first race-neutral attendance boundary was the smallest in size in the school district, totaling 3 square miles (7.8 km2).

[4] The Fairmont Heights community protested against two unsuccessful attempts to close the school, one of which would have converted the building into a performing arts facility.

According to Fairmont High Class of 1970 alumna and teacher Deborah Franklin, "There's a lot of emotion tied up in the school" and members of the Fairmont Heights area feared that the conversion "would just shut out the people in the community.

The district did not give the school an auditorium, even though the renovation plans originally called for that, because it did not have enough money.

[4] In 2000 Fairmont Heights, along with the other Prince George's County public high schools, adopted the "Alternating A/B Block Schedule".

[citation needed] It serves portions of the Landover CDP which includes part of the communities Kentland, Palmer Park,[17] Belle Haven, and Village Green.