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Best High Schools in Durham, NC

At a glance

Schools

12,139

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedCity of Medicine Academy25^th of 641 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

City of Medicine Academy up 87 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Durham's Performance Learning Center 7.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

2★

1★

0★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare North Carolina cities →See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

The city of Durham, North Carolina is home to 14 high schools, including a mix of public, public magnet, and public charter schools serving grades 6-12. The data reveals stark disparities in academic performance, with a few standout schools like Durham School of the Arts, J.D. Clement Early College High School, and City of Medicine Academy ranking among the top 5% of high schools in North Carolina, while others like Hillside High, Southern School of Energy and Sustainability, and Northern High struggle with proficiency rates well below the district and state averages.

The data also reveals that magnet and charter schools in the Durham Public Schools district are generally outperforming the traditional public high schools, with Research Triangle High School ranking in the top 25% of North Carolina high schools. However, there appears to be a correlation between schools with high free/reduced lunch rates and lower academic achievement, raising questions about equity and access to quality education for all students in the district.

Overall, the data provides a comprehensive look at the high school landscape in Durham, North Carolina, highlighting both the strengths and challenges facing the local education system. The analysis points to the need for further investigation into the root causes of the performance gaps and the implementation of targeted strategies to support underperforming schools and ensure more equitable educational opportunities for all students.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Research Triangle High School	Public, Charter	9-12	3106 East NC Highway 54	Durham	27709	Durham County	Research Triangle High School	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 998-6757	572	43	13.3		201 (35.1%)	90 (15.7%)	84 (14.7%)	126 (22.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (12.2%)	78	142^nd of 641 public high schools	77.8%		77.5	143^rd of 640 public high schools	77.7%	1	67.7	82.2	46.0	85.1
Hillside High	Public, Magnet	9-12	3727 Fayetteville St	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3925	1,433	82	17.3	99.8%	27 (1.9%)	859 (59.9%)	460 (32.1%)	19 (1.3%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	62 (4.3%)	15.3	558^th of 641 public high schools	12.9%		14	560^th of 640 public high schools	12.5%	2	31.2	38.9	17.1	32.1								$11,407	$967	$10,441
C E Jordan High	Public	9-12	6806 Garrett Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-3912	2,189	105	20.9	99.9%	628 (28.7%)	653 (29.8%)	660 (30.2%)	90 (4.1%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	154 (7.0%)	45.9	331^st of 641 public high schools	48.4%		37.9	387^th of 640 public high schools	39.5%	56	50.0	61.9	27.8	64.9								$9,868	$693	$9,175
The School for Creative Studies	Public, Magnet	6-12	5001 Red Mill Rd	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3535	350	34	10.2	98.9%	46 (13.1%)	171 (48.9%)	112 (32.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.4%)	30.2	444^th of 641 public high schools	30.7%		35	405^th of 640 public high schools	36.7%	39	62.5	42.0	39.4	39.5	50.9	39.5	45.8	43.6	36.8	52.5	62.7	$12,022	$1,332	$10,689
Northern High	Public	9-12	4622 N Roxboro Street	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-3956	1,281	70	18.3	99.8%	197 (15.4%)	498 (38.9%)	517 (40.4%)	23 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (3.4%)	23.5	502^nd of 641 public high schools	21.7%		10.9	586^th of 640 public high schools	8.4%	84	31.9	38.6	21.5	59.5								$10,719	$535	$10,184
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi	Public, Magnet	9-12	800 Clayton Road	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3968	1,384	65	21.2	99.8%	32 (2.3%)	624 (45.1%)	668 (48.3%)	7 (0.5%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	46 (3.3%)	10.4	596^th of 641 public high schools	7.0%		8.5	604^th of 640 public high schools	5.6%	8	16.3	35.1	16.4	30.6								$11,432	$509	$10,923
Durham School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	6-12	401 North Duke Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3926	1,764	100	17.6	99.2%	612 (34.7%)	437 (24.8%)	542 (30.7%)	50 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	122 (6.9%)	85.1	111^th of 641 public high schools	82.7%		80.5	132^nd of 640 public high schools	79.4%	21	77.0	87.9	59.2	86.9	66.2	78.2	83.2	70.0	74.7	78.2	78.6	$10,260	$523	$9,737
Riverside High	Public	9-12	3218 Rose of Sharon Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-3965	1,900	94	20.3	99.8%	490 (25.8%)	534 (28.1%)	728 (38.3%)	50 (2.6%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (5.0%)	25.2	492^nd of 641 public high schools	23.2%		25	484^th of 640 public high schools	24.4%	8	38.5	46.6	17.9	49.2								$10,389	$739	$9,651
Lakeview School	Public	6-12	3507 Dearborn Drive	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2520	52	19	2.8	94.2%	3 (5.8%)	32 (61.5%)	8 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (17.3%)	1.1	641^st of 641 public high schools	0.0%		1.1	640^th of 640 public high schools	0.0%	1		5.9		15.8		5.0			20.0	6.3		$45,258	$734	$44,524
J D Clement Early College High School	Public	9-12	1801 Fayetteville Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2696	380	14	26.2	99.2%	16 (4.2%)	214 (56.3%)	119 (31.3%)	12 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.7%)	94.8	26^th of 641 public high schools	95.9%		94.1	37^th of 640 public high schools	94.2%	11	89.7	97.7	85.7	98.9								$8,162	$393	$7,769
Middle College High School @ DTCC	Public	11-12	1637 Lawson Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 536-7203	164	7	23.4	98.2%	53 (32.3%)	46 (28.0%)	46 (28.0%)	5 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	13 (7.9%)								(n/a)				85.3								$8,584	$195	$8,389
Durham School of Technology	Public	9-12	3727 Fayetteville St	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-9183	219	16	13.5	98.6%	13 (5.9%)	146 (66.7%)	49 (22.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.0%)	78.9	139^th of 641 public high schools	78.3%		68.9	188^th of 640 public high schools	70.6%	49	63.4	72.7	66.0	91.5								$8,663	$236	$8,427
Durham's Performance Learning Center	Public	9-12	401 North Driver Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-9190	122	17	7.3	90.2%	3 (2.5%)	61 (50.0%)	52 (42.6%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	3.6	628^th of 641 public high schools	2.0%		14.1	558^th of 640 public high schools	12.8%	70	11.9	8.3		23.5								$15,776	$849	$14,927
City of Medicine Academy	Public	9-12	301 Crutchfield Road	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2001	329	20	16.6	98.5%	24 (7.3%)	121 (36.8%)	157 (47.7%)	11 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.9%)	94.9	25^th of 641 public high schools	96.1%		85	112^th of 640 public high schools	82.5%	87	95.9	94.4	86.5	97.1								$12,056	$1,005	$11,051
Holton Career and Resource Center	Public	9-12	401 North Driver St	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2219	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Durham

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Chapel Hill	5.68 mi	22	59^th
Hillsborough	8.06 mi	12	108^th
Bahama	9.47 mi	2	73^rd
Carrboro	9.69 mi	3	103^rd
Cary	9.77 mi	34	50^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.