It was named for American politician Wilmer Carter and was the first high school in the Inland Empire named after a living African-American woman.

[4] The school's mascot is a lion and consequently, the athletics teams are called 'Lions'.

[5] The two-story facility has eighteen buildings and includes a football stadium that seats over 2,500, a performing arts theatre that accommodates over 800, a multipurpose room (MPR) that accommodates over 600, and a three full-court gymnasium with the capacity for 2,400 spectators.

[3] Carter High School also has a joint-use County Public Library on its campus that is open for students to use throughout the school day and Monday through Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.[3] In addition, CHS has a dedicated science building that includes four full science labs for hands-on lessons.

[3] The school has five full computer labs and a mobile computer lab that is used for English Learner (EL) instruction in the ELD III classroom.