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Best Schools in Durham, NC
Durham, NC has 119 public schools (19 high, 18 middle, 64 elementary) serving 69,488 students. On average they score 55% on state proficiency tests against a projected 43%, so schools in Durham exceed expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in Durham, NC
The top high schools in Durham, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. City Of Medicine Academy
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades 9 - 13 • 349 Students
2. J D Clement Early College Hs
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades 9 - 13 • 395 Students
3. Middle College Hs @ Dtcc
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades 11 - 13 • 106 Students
4. Durham School Of The Arts
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 12 • 1705 Students
5. East Chapel Hill High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chapel Hill-carrboro City Schools • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1447 Students
6. Research Triangle High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Research Triangle High School • Charter • Grades 9 - 12 • 582 Students
7. Durham School Of Technology
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades 9 - 13 • 251 Students
8. Leesville Road High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Wake County Schools • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2613 Students
9. Cedar Ridge High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Orange County Schools • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1104 Students
10. Carrboro High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chapel Hill-carrboro City Schools • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 870 Students
Best Middle Schools in Durham, NC
The top middle schools in Durham, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Lakewood Montessori Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 303 Students
2. Smith Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chapel Hill-carrboro City Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 768 Students
3. Leesville Road Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Wake County Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 791 Students
4. Phillips Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chapel Hill-carrboro City Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 609 Students
5. Margaret B. Pollard Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chatham County Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 768 Students
6. Rogers-herr Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 643 Students
7. Pine Hollow Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Wake County Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 850 Students
8. Culbreth Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chapel Hill-carrboro City Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 656 Students
9. Orange Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Orange County Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 525 Students
10. A L Stanback Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Orange County Schools • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 646 Students
Best Elementary Schools in Durham, NC
The top elementary schools in Durham, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Morris Grove Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chapel Hill-carrboro City Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 421 Students
2. Chatham Grove Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chatham County Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 677 Students
3. Mangum Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 301 Students
4. Sycamore Creek Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Wake County Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 786 Students
5. Easley Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 450 Students
6. Pearsontown Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 726 Students
7. North Chatham Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chatham County Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 616 Students
8. Morehead Montessori
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Durham Public Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 227 Students
9. Ephesus Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Chapel Hill-carrboro City Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 381 Students
10. River Park Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Orange County Schools • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 559 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in Durham, NC
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
Durham, NC has a total population of 312,468 with 26% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 90%, and 53% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in Durham, NC
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood Durham, NC.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
34.45 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
4.88 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
29.58 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in Durham, NC.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for Durham, NC.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit Durham, NC Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in Durham, NC
How many schools are in Durham, NC?
Durham, NC has 119 public schools: 19 high schools, 18 middle schools and 64 elementary schools, serving 69,488 students in total.
How do schools in Durham perform on state tests?
On average, 119 schools in Durham score 55% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 43%, so on average schools in Durham exceed expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in Durham?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near Durham, NC
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 39%
- Projected: 31%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 58%
- Projected: 46%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 67%
- Projected: 59%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 70%
- Projected: 61%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 49%
- Projected: 46%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
- Actual: 60%
- Projected: 49%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 59%
- Projected: 56%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
- Actual: 56%
- Projected: 49%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 57%
- Projected: 47%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 61%
- Projected: 51%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
Every school in Durham
68 of 68 schools in Durham carry a SchoolGrade. Grade distribution:
A: 12B: 10C: 17D: 23F: 6
All 68 public schools we grade in Durham. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
High schools (6)
- C E Jordan High
- Hillside High
- J D Clement Early College HS
- Northern High
- Research Triangle High School
- Riverside High
Middle and junior high schools (10)
- Brogden Middle
- George L Carrington Middle
- James E Shepard Middle
- Lakewood Montessori Middle
- Lowes Grove Middle
- Lucas Middle
- Middle College HS At Dtcc
- Neal Middle
- Rogers Herr Middle
- Sherwood Githens Middle
Elementary and primary schools (28)
- Bethesda Elementary
- Burton Elementary
- C C Spaulding Elementary
- Club Boulevard Elementary
- Creekside Elementary
- E K Powe Elementary
- Easley Elementary
- Eastway Elementary
- Eno Valley Elementary
- Fayetteville Street Elementary
- Forest View Elementary
- George Watts Elementary
- Glenn Elementary
- Hillandale Elementary
- Holt Elementary
- Hope Valley Elementary
- Lakewood Elementary
- Lyons Farm Elementary
- Merrick Moore Elementary
- Oak Grove Elementary
- Parkwood Elementary
- Pearsontown Elementary
- R N Harris Elementary
- Sandy Ridge Elementary
- Southwest Elementary
- Spring Valley Elementary
- W G Pearson Elementary
- Y E Smith Elementary
Other schools and academies (24)
- Central Park School For Child
- City Of Medicine Academy
- Community School Of Digital And Visual Art
- Durham Charter School
- Durham School Of Technology
- Durham School Of The Arts
- Durhams Performance Learning Center
- Excelsior Classical Academy
- Global Scholars Academy
- Ignite Online Academy
- Kestrel Heights School
- Kipp Durham College Preparatory
- Lakeview School
- Little River K 8 School
- Maureen Joy Charter School
- Morehead Montessori
- Nc Virtual Academy
- North Carolina Cyber Academy
- Reaching All Minds Academy
- Research Triangle Charter
- Southern School Of Energy And Sustainabi
- The Institute Development Young Leaders
- The School For Creative Studies
- Voyager Academy
Private schools (26)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.
- Bethesda Christian Academy
- Carolina Friends School
- Cresset Christian Academy
- Duke School
- Durham Academy
- Durham Academy Middle School Div
- Empowered Minds Academy
- Faith Assembly Christian Academy
- Five Oaks Seventh-day Adventist Christian School
- Gift Of Knowledge Academy
- Hill Learning Center
- Hope Creek Academy
- Hope Creek Academy
- Immaculata Catholic School
- Insight Colearning Center
- International Montessori School
- Lerner Jewish Community Day School
- Liberty Christian School
- Montessori Farm School
- Montessori School Of Durham
- Quality Education Institute Of Durham
- Southpoint Academy
- The Studio School Of Durham
- Triangle Day School
- Trinity School Of Durham & Chapel Hill
- Tutorial -1/2 Christian Schools