Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Hillandale Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1377^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Hillandale Elementary is a PK–5 school in Durham Public Schools enrolling roughly 586 students in a part of Durham where nearly every nearby elementary school serves a similarly high-poverty population. Yet Hillandale currently sits at the 8th percentile statewide (ranked 1,377 out of 1,492 elementary schools), making it the lowest-performing school in its immediate neighborhood cluster. Its performance has steadily declined over the past decade, from the 35th percentile in 2015–16 to the 8th percentile in 2025–26, and proficiency rates in every tested subject and grade lag well below district and state averages — for example, only 30.6% of 4th graders are proficient in math compared with 53% across the district.

The most striking finding for parents is that nearby schools serving nearly identical student populations achieve far better results. Easley Elementary, just 1.6 miles away, ranks in the 78th percentile despite having a free/reduced-price lunch rate of 99.4% — essentially the same as Hillandale’s 99.5%. In 5th-grade reading, only 37.0% of Hillandale students are proficient, while Easley posts 78.6%, George Watts Elementary posts 69.0%, and Morehead Montessori posts 73.5%. Science is a relative bright spot, with 53.8% proficiency, but that still trails the state average of 67.7% and is far behind Easley’s 90.0%.

Attendance is not the issue: Hillandale’s chronic absenteeism rate dropped to 18.1% in 2024–25, better than the district rate of 36.1% and the state rate of 24.2%. Subgroup outcomes are concerning, especially for low-income and male students, who rank in the 4th and 6th percentiles respectively. Meanwhile, per-student spending and staffing levels have historically been lower than at higher-performing peers. When schools with virtually identical poverty concentrations produce dramatically different results, it suggests school-level effectiveness — not student background — is the key factor. For parents, Hillandale’s strong attendance and improving engagement provide a foundation, but the urgent challenge remains improving academic instruction and support.

586

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

2730 Hillandale Road
Durham, NC 27705-2076

(919) 560-3924

District: Durham Public Schools

Students who attend Hillandale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Brogden Middle
High:	Riverside High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.1%

African American:

31.6%

White:

16.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Hillandale Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

1,377^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

155^th of 246Durham Public Schools 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.9	1377 of 1492	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	1375 of 1490	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	1356 of 1505	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.1	1153 of 1502	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	1190 of 1514	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	1101 of 1489	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	1176 of 1473	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	1084 of 1434	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.0	1001 of 1429	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.9	925 of 1425	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.7	862 of 1440	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.2	762 of 1390	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.5	836 of 1403	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.2	810 of 1388	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.1	777 of 1381	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	66.3	485 of 1363	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	52.3	741 of 1354	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.0	634 of 1324	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	37.1	938 of 1293	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	41.9	843 of 1276	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.4	855 of 903	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.6	758 of 918	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.1	633 of 924	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	533 of 933	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	548 of 927	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.7	387 of 896	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.3	717 of 949	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.0	527 of 927	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	35.7	390 of 634	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.6	182 of 878	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	64.3	220 of 897	75.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	421 of 519	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.6	475 of 563	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	523 of 533	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.6	424 of 514	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	390 of 485	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.9	315 of 497	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.7	374 of 421	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.9	1297 of 1447	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	1342 of 1451	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	1350 of 1455	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	1249 of 1459	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	1227 of 1458	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	1217 of 1440	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.5	1167 of 1424	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	1150 of 1405	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	588 of 743	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.4	533 of 710	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	522 of 582	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	472 of 500	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.0	471 of 494	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	568 of 612	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	82.6	1 of 69	98.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.2	827 of 981	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.2	884 of 961	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	841 of 951	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	648 of 915	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	787 of 893	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	763 of 843	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	504 of 865	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.3	624 of 851	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.3	1376 of 1434	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.0	1328 of 1437	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	1282 of 1450	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	1092 of 1437	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	1165 of 1366	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.0	945 of 1329	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	1074 of 1361	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	1082 of 1332	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	1371 of 1451	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.6	1325 of 1450	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1229 of 1464	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.9	984 of 1461	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.1	1094 of 1464	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	951 of 1444	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.8	1112 of 1430	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.4	1002 of 1413	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	26.8	657 of 801	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	922 of 1146	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	51.9	569 of 1172	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.7	663 of 1166	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.0	432 of 1183	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.0	601 of 1194	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.4	499 of 1172	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	540 of 1183	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.4	675 of 1178	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)38th percentile+17 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)21st percentile+13 vs school

White (2026)20th percentile+12 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)19th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2024)18th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)10th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

African American (2026)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science54%-14 vs state

Mathematics41%-23 vs state

Reading35%-21 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★0

Rate Hillandale Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, February 11, 2016

This was a great school before the exodus of our families to charter and private schools. There are still great things happening at Hillandale, however as students and families try to escape other lower performing schools by enrolling their kids in Hillandale they have effectively bottomed out a once excellent school. The test results and population prove this progression towards failure. Close Quote

Schools Near Hillandale Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Hillandale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2730 Hillandale Road	Durham	27705	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3924	586	40	14.7	—	99 (16.9%)	185 (31.6%)	235 (40.1%)	21 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.7%)	13.9	1377^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.7%		13.4	1375^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.7%	2	51.1	30.6	40.9				34.1	32.9	37.0				53.8		$11,529	$1,010	$10,519
Holt Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4019 Holt School Road	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3928	587	42	13.8	—	23 (3.9%)	144 (24.5%)	344 (58.6%)	42 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.8%)	17.9	1318^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.7%		22.4	1237^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.0%	81	43.8	44.3	40.2				41.3	46.6	36.1				51.5		$11,913	$1,480	$10,433
Easley Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	302 Lebanon Circle	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3913	490	38	12.8	—	202 (41.2%)	93 (19.0%)	153 (31.2%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.3%)	74.9	325^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.2%		83.5	194^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.0%	131	71.8	60.2	72.9				72.9	62.4	78.6				90.0		$12,062	$830	$11,231
Eno Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	117 Milton Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3915	440	34	13.0	—	32 (7.3%)	215 (48.9%)	154 (35.0%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.8%)	36.5	970^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.0%		22.2	1240^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.8%	270	62.1	45.5	59.0				53.4	45.5	52.5				54.8		$11,447	$1,613	$9,835
E K Powe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	913 9th Street	Durham	27705	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3963	454	36	12.7	—	170 (37.4%)	81 (17.8%)	161 (35.5%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.8%)	43.1	858^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.5%		41.8	884^th of 1490 public elementary schools	40.7%	26	51.7	58.3	60.7				43.3	62.5	54.1				59.0		$12,287	$1,073	$11,214
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
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
Sandy Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1417 Old Oxford Highway	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-2695	589	33	17.8	—	43 (7.3%)	310 (52.6%)	188 (31.9%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.3%)	44.5	835^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.0%		30.3	1086^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.1%	251	62.2	48.6	62.0				47.6	47.6	60.8				72.2		$11,793	$1,182	$10,611
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillandale Elementary

What schools do graduates of Hillandale Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hillandale Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Brogden Middle
High : Riverside High

What district is Hillandale Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Hillandale Elementary?

Students at Hillandale Elementary are 40% Hispanic, 32% African American, 17% White, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Hillandale Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 586 students attended Hillandale Elementary.

Is Hillandale Elementary a good school?

Hillandale Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.7% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Hillandale Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Durham, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Hillandale Elementary!

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.