Kestrel Heights School

Kestrel Heights School in Durham, NC, is a single K-8 charter school serving 421 students within the Kestrel Heights School district. The school serves a largely economically disadvantaged population, with 56% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism (22.6%) is slightly better than the state average (24.2%). Its state ranking improved from the 34th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 38th percentile in 2025-2026, though it still holds a 2-star rating and remains below its 45th-percentile showing from 2023-2024.

The clearest bright spot is 4th grade math, where 65.2% of students scored proficient in 2025-2026, above the state average of 61.4%. Fourth grade reading nearly matched the state (56.5% vs. 57.7%). Overall, reading is a relative strength: the school trails the state by an average of 6.3 points in reading, compared with 10.7 points in math. However, 8th grade math is a serious concern—only 18.9% of students were proficient versus 53.0% statewide, a gap of 34.1 points. That score also fell sharply from 35.7% the previous year. The largest year-over-year improvements came in 4th grade math (+13.1 points), 5th grade math (+12.9), and 5th grade science (+10.7).

Grade-level patterns show math proficiency declining steadily from 64.9% in 3rd grade to just 18.9% in 8th grade, while 3rd grade reading remains a persistent weakness at 39.5% proficiency, far below the state’s 55.6%. Science improved but still trails state averages, especially in 5th grade. Since each grade cohort contains roughly 47 students, a 10-point proficiency swing equals only about 5 students, so year-to-year changes should be interpreted carefully. For parents, the key takeaway is a school with promising early-grade math and upper-grade reading performances, but one that needs focused support in middle-school math and early literacy.