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Global Scholars Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-8

1302^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Global Scholars Academy, a small K–8 charter school in Durham, NC, enrolls 201 students from a high-poverty area where 98.5% qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. The school operates as its own Global Scholars Academy single-school district, and its statewide school ranking has dropped sharply over the past decade, from the 51st percentile in 2017–18 to the 13th percentile in 2025–26 (1,302 of 1,492 schools). Chronic absenteeism is a major obstacle: 41.5% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25, nearly double the state rate of 24.2%, and the figure has climbed every year since 2021–22.

Reading is the defining challenge at this school. Proficiency in grades 3–8 ranges from 15% to 50%, while the state average sits between 55% and 58%; only 16.7% of 3rd graders read proficiently, compared with 55.6% statewide. Math results are uneven — 4th and 8th graders beat the state average, while other grades lag well behind. The school's brightest spot is 8th grade science, where 90% of students are proficient. That is far above the state's 68.6%, and notably higher than Central Park School for Children (75.9%), Maureen Joy Charter School (79.7%), and KIPP Durham College Preparatory (57.5%). This strength does not extend downward, however — 5th grade science proficiency is just 40%.

After bottoming out at the 6th percentile in 2023–24, Global Scholars Academy has improved slightly for two consecutive years, and it now outperforms KIPP Durham College Preparatory — a similarly high-poverty K–8 charter with even worse absenteeism — in most reading grades. Yet the comparison with nearby public schools serving the same economic demographic is stark: George Watts Elementary ranks in the 72nd percentile, Morehead Montessori in the 79th, and Burton Elementary in the 69th. For parents, the bottom line is that Global Scholars Academy has genuine strengths in upper-grade math and science and a slightly upward trend, but severe literacy gaps and rising absenteeism remain urgent problems that the school must address to build lasting progress.

201

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1305 W Club Blvd
Durham, NC 27705

(919) 682-5903

District: Global Scholars Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

60.2%

African American:

38.3%

Two or more races:

1.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Global Scholars Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (42% vs 59% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

1,302^nd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 7% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

518^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 39% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

208^th of 246Global Scholars Academy among North Carolina districts

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
2026	18.7	1302 of 1492	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.8	1328 of 1490	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	1420 of 1505	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	1373 of 1502	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	35.7	991 of 1514	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.1	1116 of 1489	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.6	896 of 1473	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.7	701 of 1434	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.3	909 of 1429	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	10.1	1325 of 1425	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.6	1302 of 1440	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	25.3	1080 of 1390	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.4	1256 of 1403	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	579 of 918	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.8	725 of 924	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.4	389 of 933	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.9	343 of 896	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.4	196 of 949	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.8	86 of 927	90.7%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	320 of 563	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	1413 of 1451	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	1362 of 1455	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	1299 of 1459	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.2	945 of 1458	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.6	1142 of 1440	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.0	762 of 1424	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	78.7	248 of 1405	82.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	765 of 981	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.2	766 of 961	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	878 of 951	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	640 of 915	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	63.8	232 of 893	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	48.8	380 of 843	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.5	540 of 865	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	1118 of 1434	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.2	1097 of 1437	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	1331 of 1450	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	1221 of 1437	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	56.6	527 of 1366	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.8	471 of 1361	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.2	238 of 1332	82.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	1205 of 1451	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.5	1326 of 1450	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	1413 of 1464	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	1315 of 1461	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.2	1029 of 1464	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.3	973 of 1444	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	872 of 1430	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	878 of 1413	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	518 of 778	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.5	466 of 773	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.1	474 of 793	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	541 of 784	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	573 of 786	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.0	617 of 741	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.1	530 of 737	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.3	441 of 691	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.3	411 of 694	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.6	423 of 692	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	26.6	534 of 705	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	20.6	481 of 550	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.3	241 of 533	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.2	94 of 519	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	71.6	84 of 494	83.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	40.7	444 of 738	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.0	628 of 731	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	559 of 733	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	603 of 706	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	520 of 684	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.9	430 of 566	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	73.2	93 of 562	83.5%	★★★★☆
2024	64.5	142 of 564	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	33.6	398 of 553	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	55.7	205 of 541	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.4	462 of 522	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.5	352 of 493	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	486 of 725	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.2	263 of 743	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.3	410 of 735	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.6	294 of 689	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.2	323 of 639	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	68.0	143 of 604	76.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	60.4	269 of 751	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.4	400 of 747	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.7	539 of 748	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.4	527 of 711	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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

English Language Learner (2025)43rd percentile+32 vs school

African American (2025)37th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)3rd percentile-8 vs school

Middle school

Male (2024)64th percentile+24 vs school

Female (2024)40th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)24th percentile-9 vs school

African American (2022)13th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science57%-11 vs state

Mathematics54%-6 vs state

Reading26%-30 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, May 25, 2019

This is my child's first year at Global Scholars Academy, she loves it. It's has opened her mind and expanded life's possibilities through learning. Close Quote

Schools Near Global Scholars Academy

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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
Global Scholars Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1305 W Club Blvd	Durham	27705	Durham County	Global Scholars Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 682-5903	201	17	11.8	—	0 (0.0%)	77 (38.3%)	121 (60.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	18.7	1302^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	12.7%		16.8	1328^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%	26	50.0	64.0	55.0	42.9	46.7	60.0	16.7	28.0	15.0	28.6	33.3	50.0	40.0	90.0
Central Park School For Children	Public, Charter	K-8	724 Foster Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	Central Park School For Children	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 682-1200	585	47	12.4	35.6%	284 (48.5%)	133 (22.7%)	108 (18.5%)	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.9%)	40.5	898^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.8%		55.6	642^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	56.9%	256	54.4	53.2	48.4	41.8	49.2	51.9	52.9	66.1	50.8	58.2	61.3	70.4	57.4	75.9
KIPP Durham College Preparatory	Public, Charter	K-8	1107 Holloway Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	KIPP Durham College Preparatory	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 973-0285	380	26	14.9	—	9 (2.4%)	180 (47.4%)	183 (48.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	10.7	1409^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.6%		19.2	1289^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.5%	120	57.9	28.9		36.1	66.1	52.4	21.1	24.4		22.2	33.9	38.1		57.5
Eastway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	610 North Alston Avenue	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3910	331	31	10.5	—	12 (3.6%)	128 (38.7%)	173 (52.3%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	22.9	1226^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.8%		17.1	1327^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%	101	73.2	60.4	51.7				31.7	26.4	24.1				36.2		$13,790	$3,532	$10,259
George Watts Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	700 Watts Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3947	358	25	14.2	—	176 (49.2%)	55 (15.4%)	90 (25.1%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (8.4%)	69.8	421^st of 1492 public elementary schools	71.8%		76.9	299^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.9%	122	69.1	69.2	61.9				67.3	65.4	69.0				73.8		$15,158	$1,151	$14,007
Club Boulevard Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	400 W Club Boulevard	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3918	364	25	14.6	—	141 (38.7%)	73 (20.1%)	128 (35.2%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.2%)	31.1	1072^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	28.2%		51.6	717^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.9%	355	50.8	51.8	47.0				41.5	64.3	48.2				53.0		$12,570	$1,172	$11,398
Maureen Joy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	107 South Driver Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Maureen Joy Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 908-1600	631	54	11.6	—	15 (2.4%)	158 (25.0%)	425 (67.4%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	38.6	931^st of 1492 public elementary schools	37.6%		37.2	959^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.6%	28	67.2	67.7	40.0	69.1	81.9	68.1	45.3	54.8	41.4	42.6	56.9	71.0	50.0	79.7
Morehead Montessori	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	909 Cobb Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3954	278	20	14.2	—	136 (48.9%)	55 (19.8%)	46 (16.5%)	12 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (10.4%)	75.6	309^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.3%		77.3	287^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.7%	22	81.8	55.0	67.6				81.8	65.0	73.5				80.0		$16,804	$1,621	$15,183
Burton Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1500 Mathison Avenue	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3908	293	27	10.7	—	25 (8.5%)	136 (46.4%)	112 (38.2%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (5.1%)	67.6	459^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.2%		63.9	501^st of 1490 public elementary schools	66.4%	42	54.3	63.4	75.6				62.9	61.0	75.6				78.0		$14,102	$1,610	$12,492
Y E Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 E Main Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3900	358	23	15.6	—	11 (3.1%)	145 (40.5%)	182 (50.8%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	9.1	1430^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.2%		3.4	1482^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	0.5%	52	58.1	39.1	19.1				30.2	34.8	8.5				14.9		$17,541	$3,182	$14,359

Frequently Asked Questions about Global Scholars Academy

What district is Global Scholars Academy in?

Global Scholars Academy

How many students attend Global Scholars Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 201 students attended Global Scholars Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Global Scholars Academy?

Students at Global Scholars Academy are 60% Hispanic, 38% African American.

Is Global Scholars Academy a good school?

Global Scholars Academy ranks in the bottom 12.7% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Global Scholars Academy!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.