Best Public Schools in Durham, CA

Durham, California, has three schools serving kindergarten through grade 12: Durham Elementary (K–5), Durham Intermediate (6–8), and Durham High (9–12), with 1,048 students combined in Durham Unified. In 2025–2026, their average proficiency was above the state in ELA (61% versus 49%), science (47% versus 36%), and math (43% versus 38%). But results are not equally strong across grades: fifth-grade math at Durham Elementary was 18%, 18 points below the state. The key takeaway is that area-wide results are generally stronger than state results, with fifth-grade math the clearest concern.

Durham High stands out in ELA and science, scoring 69% and 53%—13 and 10 points above the other two schools’ average in each subject. Durham Intermediate leads in math at 50%, 11 points above the other schools’ average. Durham Elementary had the lowest all-grades score in all three subjects: 55% in ELA, 38% in math, and 39% in science. Its ELA and science scores were still 5 and 3 points above state, while math was 1 point below. At the elementary school, fifth-grade ELA was also below state—41% versus 49%.

Average proficiency improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026: by 10 points in ELA, 8 in math, and 6 in science. One exception was Durham Elementary science, which fell 6 points, though it remained above state. SchoolDigger rankings rose from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 at all three schools: Elementary went from the 55th to 61st percentile, High from the 63rd to 83rd, and Intermediate from the 72nd to 79th. The reported free/reduced lunch eligible shares for 2024–2025 were similar—about 38% to 40%—while 2024–2025 student-teacher ratios ranged from 16.4 at High to 22.9 at Elementary; these are context, not explanations for results.