Durham Charter School

Durham Charter School is a K–12 charter school in Durham, NC, enrolling about 1,010 students and operating as its own school district. The most striking fact about the student body is that 99% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25 — far higher than nearby in-person charters like Voyager Academy, where only about 20% qualify. Even with that level of economic disadvantage, Durham Charter's attendance and graduation metrics are solid: chronic absenteeism is 13.5% versus 24.2% statewide, and the graduation rate is 89.4%, just above the state's 88.8%.

Durham Charter's clearest academic strength is math. In grades 3 through 7, math proficiency runs 11 to 22 percentage points above the state average, and 5th-grade math (84% proficient) is the highest among all nearby comparison schools. The school also posts a Math I EOC score of 70% versus 42.1% statewide — the best among those compared — and an 89.7% Math III result. Science scores are above state averages in 5th and 8th grades as well. In short, the school is competitive with, and sometimes better than, several nearby in-person charters in STEM subjects.

Reading is the relative weakness. While 4th-, 6th-, and 7th-grade reading are solid, 5th- and 8th-grade scores fall below the state average, and English II is essentially tied with the state. Nearby schools like Woods Charter and Excelsior Classical Academy post stronger reading results in most grades. Where Durham Charter clearly excels is in comparison to the online options: North Carolina Cyber Academy, NC Virtual Academy, and Ignite Online Academy all have lower graduation rates, higher chronic absenteeism, and much weaker math scores. For families weighing school-choice options in the Durham area, Durham Charter is well worth a closer look — it combines strong STEM results with a graduation rate at or above the state average.