Durham School District

511 Cleveland Street
Durham, NC 27701-3334
(District boundaries shown in map)
4/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Durham School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 16 public high schools serving 11,920 students in Durham School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 4/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public high schools in North Carolina.
Public High Schools in Durham School District have an average math proficiency score of 47% (versus the North Carolina public high school average of 58%), and reading proficiency score of 54% (versus the 58% statewide average).
Public High School in Durham School District have a Graduation Rate of 83%, which is less than the North Carolina average of 85%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Durham School Of The Arts, with 96% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in North Carolina or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 81% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the North Carolina public high school average of 55% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
57 Schools
761 Schools
# Students
31,339 Students
565,764 Students
# Teachers
2,341 Teachers
33,453 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
13:1
13:1

District Rank

Durham School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 84% has increased from 81% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#214 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Durham   School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
42%
51%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Durham   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
44%
50%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Durham   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
56%
63%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Durham   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
84%
86%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Durham   School District and public school graduation rate of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.70
0.70
# American Indian Students
41 Students
5,772 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
661 Students
21,293 Students
% Asian Students
2%
4%
# Hispanic Students
10,975 Students
115,235 Students
% Hispanic Students
35%
20%
# Black Students
11,645 Students
138,700 Students
% Black Students
37%
24%
# White Students
6,128 Students
254,801 Students
% White Students
20%
45%
# Hawaiian Students
20 Students
765 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,869 Students
30,969 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
438
491
# Students in K Grade:
2,232
6,922
# Students in 1st Grade:
2,248
6,949
# Students in 2nd Grade:
2,407
7,207
# Students in 3rd Grade:
2,239
7,125
# Students in 4th Grade:
2,254
7,196
# Students in 5th Grade:
2,289
7,763
# Students in 6th Grade:
2,104
11,146
# Students in 7th Grade:
2,127
12,024
# Students in 8th Grade:
2,200
12,284
# Students in 9th Grade:
3,314
137,976
# Students in 10th Grade:
2,761
126,349
# Students in 11th Grade:
2,532
117,582
# Students in 12th Grade:
2,194
104,750
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $14,541 is higher than the state median of $11,187. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $14,270 is higher than the state median of $11,612. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (NC)
Total Revenue
$456 MM
$17,307 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Durham   School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$447 MM
$17,964 MM
This chart displays total spending of Durham   School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$14,541
$11,187
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Durham   School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$14,270
$11,612
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Durham   School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Durham School District Public High Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
J D Clement Early College High School
(Math: 85-89% | Reading: 85-89% )
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
1801 Fayetteville Street, Nccu
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-2696
Grades: 9-12
| 386 students
Rank: #22.
Durham School Of The Arts
Magnet School
(Math: 71% | Reading: 73%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
401 North Duke Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 560-3926
Grades: 6-12
| 1,767 students
Rank: #33.
Durham School Of Technology
(Math: 60-79% | Reading: 65-69%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
3727 Fayetteville St
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-9183
Grades: 9-12
| 239 students
Rank: #44.
Riverside High School
(Math: 60-64% | Reading: 55%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
3218 Rose Of Sharon Road
Durham, NC 27712
(919) 560-3965
Grades: 9-12
| 1,851 students
Rank: #55.
Dps Hospital School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50% )
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
Dumc Room 3605
Durham, NC 27710
(919) 684-5684
Grades: PK-12
| n/a students
Rank: #66.
C E Jordan High School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 55%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
6806 Garrett Road
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-3912
Grades: 9-12
| 2,068 students
Rank: #77.
Northern High School
(Math: 55-59% | Reading: 39%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
4622 N Roxboro Street
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-3956
Grades: 9-12
| 1,334 students
Rank: #88.
City Of Medicine Academy
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
301 Crutchfield Road
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-2001
Grades: 9-12
| 336 students
Rank: #99.
Hillside High School
Magnet School
(Math: 30-34% | Reading: 45%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
3727 Fayetteville St
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-3925
Grades: 9-12
| 1,454 students
Rank: #1010.
The School For Creative Studies
Magnet School
(Math: 28% | Reading: 46%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
5001 Red Mill Rd
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-3535
Grades: 6-12
| 438 students
Rank: #1111.
Durham's Performance Learning Center
Alternative School
(Math: <50% | Reading: ≤20%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
401 North Driver Street
Durham, NC 27703
(919) 560-9190
Grades: 9-12
| 122 students
Rank: #1212.
Ignite Online Academy
(Math: 19% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
5321 Ephesus Church Rd.
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 972-4400
Grades: K-12
| 369 students
Rank: #1313.
Southern School Of Energy And Sustainabi
Magnet School
(Math: 30-34% | Reading: 31%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
800 Clayton Road
Durham, NC 27703
(919) 560-3968
Grades: 9-12
| 1,352 students
Rank: #1414.
Lakeview School
Alternative School
(Math: 6-9% | Reading: ≤5%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
3507 Dearborn Drive
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-2520
Grades: 6-12
| 70 students
Rank: n/an/a
Holton Career And Resource Center
Vocational School
401 North Driver St
Durham, NC 27703
(919) 560-2219
Grades: 9-12
| n/a students
Rank: n/an/a
1637 Lawson Street
Durham, NC 27703
(919) 536-7203
Grades: 11-12
| 134 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 57 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 31,339 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 13:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 80%
  • : 84% (Btm 50% in NC)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 42% (Btm 50%)
  • : 44% (Btm 50%)
  • : 56% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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