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Durham Charter School

Q: Is Durham Charter School a good school?

Durham Charter School ranks 341 st of 1490 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-11

341^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Alternative Schools

Better than 77% of North Carolina alternative schools

Summary

Durham Charter School is an alternative public charter school located in Durham, North Carolina, serving grades KG-10 with a total enrollment of 777 students. The school has a high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 97.44% to 99.07% over the past three school years.

Durham Charter School stands out for its exceptional academic performance, particularly in mathematics and science. The school consistently outperforms the state average in mathematics proficiency across all grade levels, with some grades reaching over 80% proficiency. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th-grade mathematics proficiency is 84.4% compared to the state average of 59.3%. Similarly, the school's science proficiency rates are significantly higher than the state average, with 5th-grade and 8th-grade science proficiency exceeding 85% in recent years. In 2024-2025, the school's 5th-grade science proficiency is 89.1% compared to the state average of 62%, and the 8th-grade science proficiency is 86.6% compared to the state average of 60.1%. The school's small class sizes, with a student-teacher ratio ranging from 11.2 to 12.8 over the past three school years, may contribute to its strong academic performance.

While Durham Charter School's mathematics and science performance is exceptional, its reading proficiency rates are more in line with or slightly below the state average, suggesting an area for improvement. Nearby charter schools, such as Woods Charter, Falls Lake Academy, and Voyager Academy, also demonstrate strong academic performance, particularly in mathematics and science. However, Durham Charter School's mathematics and science proficiency rates generally exceed those of the nearby charter schools, indicating its academic excellence within the local charter school landscape.

1,010

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

807 West Chapel Hill Street
Durham, NC 27701

(919) 956-5599

District: Durham Charter School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.5%

African American:

18.3%

Two or more races:

2.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Durham Charter School to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 77th percentile in 2025 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (63% vs 55% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of North Carolina alternative schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 77th-percentile peak (2025) to 70th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

North Carolina avg55%

Elementary school

341^st of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 69 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

235^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 47 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.3	341 of 1490	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	72.0	370 of 1505	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	71.2	385 of 1502	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	70.0	402 of 1514	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	25.4	1098 of 1489	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	1200 of 1473	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.0	1275 of 1434	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	5.0	1389 of 1429	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.9	1360 of 1425	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.0	1328 of 1440	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.9	1354 of 1390	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.2	1373 of 1403	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.3	1341 of 1388	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.5	1360 of 1381	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.6	1302 of 1363	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.6	1310 of 1354	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.2	1299 of 1324	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.8	1268 of 1293	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.3	1273 of 1276	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	84.5	77 of 918	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	83.4	84 of 924	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	81.4	94 of 933	89.9%	★★★★★
2022	87.0	62 of 927	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	41.2	485 of 896	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.9	555 of 949	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	684 of 927	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.7	62 of 563	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.9	46 of 533	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	22 of 514	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	80.2	38 of 485	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	38.9	218 of 385	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	76.8	59 of 497	88.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.0	396 of 1451	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	275 of 1455	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	71.7	364 of 1459	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	65.4	449 of 1458	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	18.0	1231 of 1440	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.2	1009 of 1424	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	1225 of 1405	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	83.5	79 of 961	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	84.9	83 of 951	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	88.0	62 of 915	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	84.6	74 of 893	91.7%	★★★★★
2021	50.9	361 of 843	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.2	394 of 865	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	87.7	71 of 1437	95.1%	★★★★★
2024	88.3	60 of 1450	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	88.1	69 of 1437	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	82.8	113 of 1366	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	32.4	1018 of 1361	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	1100 of 1332	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	75.7	292 of 1450	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	66.5	440 of 1464	69.9%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	399 of 1461	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	362 of 1464	75.3%	★★★★☆
2021	41.5	832 of 1444	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.5	1274 of 1430	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	1311 of 1413	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	66.8	235 of 773	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.3	370 of 793	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.7	228 of 784	70.9%	★★★★☆
2022	71.3	193 of 786	75.4%	★★★★☆
2021	33.5	486 of 741	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.3	598 of 737	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	595 of 691	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.7	637 of 694	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	13.9	606 of 692	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.1	545 of 705	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.1	596 of 627	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	9.8	622 of 673	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	33.3	500 of 662	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.2	560 of 648	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.7	482 of 640	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	13.8	566 of 630	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	7.0	579 of 620	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.9	578 of 606	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.3	574 of 598	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	85.4	53 of 546	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	75.0	93 of 560	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	74 of 559	86.8%	★★★★☆
2022	88.9	43 of 550	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	44.7	255 of 533	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.5	292 of 519	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	319 of 494	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	86.5	22 of 371	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	80.8	25 of 356	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	86.7	17 of 318	94.7%	★★★★★
2022	81.3	19 of 312	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	52.3	64 of 236	72.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	264 of 733	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.4	407 of 738	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.4	336 of 731	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.4	148 of 733	79.8%	★★★★☆
2021	35.8	441 of 706	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.9	561 of 684	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	556 of 656	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	74 of 562	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	68.8	115 of 564	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	82.6	51 of 553	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	86.8	36 of 541	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	63.8	135 of 522	74.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	70 of 729	90.4%	★★★★★
2024	68.0	172 of 743	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	68 of 735	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	83.5	56 of 689	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	36.9	440 of 639	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.6	266 of 604	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.6	178 of 733	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	56.0	304 of 751	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.2	157 of 747	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	244 of 748	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.8	468 of 711	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.7	590 of 697	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	587 of 665	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2025)92nd percentile+15 vs school

African American (2025)92nd percentile+14 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)89th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)80th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)73rd percentile-4 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2025)94th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile+21 vs school

African American (2025)90th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2025)87th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2025)76th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)64th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science88%+27 vs state

Math III82%+16 vs state

Mathematics68%+11 vs state

English II56%-3 vs state

Reading54%~ state avg

Math I50%+16 vs state

Biology45%-3 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, May 6, 2016

This school has been great for our children. The teachers are very dedicated and willing to stay after school or work with students on the weekends. Overall, the school has high expectations, and takes care of some students who don't have much support at home, but I've seen children grow so much here. I like the family atmosphere. Close Quote

Schools Near Durham Charter School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	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 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Durham Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-11	807 West Chapel Hill Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 956-5599	1,010	73	13.8	99.0%	17 (1.7%)	185 (18.3%)	783 (77.5%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.1%)								(n/a)	44.9	56.5	50.0	82.4	80.0	71.8	84.4	76.0	44.8	53.7	51.4	52.1	46.9	61.0	51.7	58.5	89.1	86.6
DPS Hospital School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	DUMC Room 3605	Durham	27710	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 684-5684	0	15	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																			$64,167	$195	$63,972
Voyager Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	101 Hock Parc Drive	Durham	27704	Durham County	Voyager Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 433-3301	1,360	101	13.4	20.4%	714 (52.5%)	348 (25.6%)	156 (11.5%)	43 (3.2%)	15 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (6.1%)								(n/a)	74.8	74.0	55.6	76.5	80.6	67.6	67.6	73.3	71.3	60.0	56.1	71.6	75.5	70.5	71.3	81.0	81.4	91.0
Excelsior Classical Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4100 N Roxboro Street	Durham	27704	Durham County	Excelsior Classical Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 213-8585	1,032	42	24.7		410 (39.7%)	216 (20.9%)	304 (29.5%)	22 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (7.8%)								(n/a)	23.8	53.1		67.2	60.9	48.9	54.3	48.9	44.4	44.2	53.3	61.7	58.7	48.9	60.0	65.1	65.2	60.5
North Carolina Cyber Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2800 Meridian Parkway	Durham	27713	Durham County	North Carolina Cyber Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(984) 262-9237	2,461	144	17.0		1,071 (43.5%)	688 (28.0%)	401 (16.3%)	71 (2.9%)	28 (1.1%)	7 (0.3%)	195 (7.9%)								(n/a)	42.2	71.1	20.8	58.1	46.0	37.8	36.2	35.0	40.1	25.8	37.6	53.0	50.0	43.3	52.4	53.8	54.3	43.9
NC Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4220 NC Highway 55	Durham	27713	Durham County	NC Virtual Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(919) 346-0121	3,482	186	18.7		1,480 (42.5%)	1,021 (29.3%)	497 (14.3%)	59 (1.7%)	45 (1.3%)	5 (0.1%)	375 (10.8%)								(n/a)	44.1	56.3	28.8	50.8	45.3	29.2	47.3	36.4	36.8	28.1	49.2	47.9	54.6	46.9	52.9	48.6	61.0	47.3
Ignite Online Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	5321 Ephesus Church Rd.	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(919) 972-4400	363	28	12.9	58.1%	60 (16.5%)	174 (47.9%)	81 (22.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	42 (11.6%)								(n/a)	17.6	43.8		30.6	27.3	33.3	33.3	20.0	25.0	37.0	27.3	66.7	28.6	40.0	57.1	51.9	76.2	40.7
Discovery Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	6-11	501 Orange Factory Road	Bahama	27503	Durham County	Discovery Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(984) 888-5504	453	29	15.4		230 (50.8%)	114 (25.2%)	58 (12.8%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (10.2%)								(n/a)	37.8	43.9	36.5	52.9				62.4	50.0	52.4				60.4	58.3	62.1		56.3
UNC Hospital School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	101 Manning Dr	Chapel Hill	27514	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 966-5009	0	15	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																			$135,341	$129	$135,212
Falls Lake Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1701 East Lyon Station Road	Creedmoor	27522	Granville County	Falls Lake Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 964-9003	1,105	86	12.8		789 (71.4%)	116 (10.5%)	123 (11.1%)	7 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (6.1%)								(n/a)	60.9	75.6	18.8	81.3	74.7	55.4	73.3	75.6	86.6	49.4	67.5	65.1	58.1	59.8	74.4	63.9	77.9	73.5

Frequently Asked Questions about Durham Charter School

Is Durham Charter School a good school?

Durham Charter School ranks 341^st of 1490 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Durham Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,010 students attended Durham Charter School.

What is the racial makeup of Durham Charter School?

Students at Durham Charter School are 78% Hispanic, 18% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% White.

What district is Durham Charter School in?

Durham Charter School

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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.