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Northern High

Q: Is Northern High a good school?

Northern High ranks in the bottom 10.6% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Northern High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,281 students attended Northern High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Northern High?

Students at Northern High are 40% Hispanic, 39% African American, 15% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into Northern High?

Northern High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Eastway Elementary Elementary : Eno Valley Elementary Elementary : Glenn Elementary Elementary : Little River Elementary Elementary : Mangum Elementary Elementary : Sandy Ridge Elementary Middle : George L Carrington Middle Middle : Lucas Middle

Public Grades 9-12

592^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 11% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Northern High is a large traditional public high school in Durham, NC, serving about 1,281 students in grades 9–12 as part of Durham Public Schools. The school currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 11th percentile of North Carolina high schools, with 99.77% of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch in 2024–25. Academic proficiency trails the district and state by wide margins on every End-of-Course exam: for example, only 17.5% of students are proficient in Math I (compared to 42.1% statewide) and 23.6% in Biology (versus 58.5% statewide). Chronic absenteeism is exceptionally high at 53.4%—more than double the state rate—and the graduation rate stands at 75.9%, below the district’s 80.3% and the state’s 88.8%.

Northern’s results stand out starkly when compared to nearby schools in the same district. Within a few miles, City of Medicine Academy (94th percentile) and J D Clement Early College High School (90th percentile) serve similarly high-poverty populations yet post proficiency rates near 90–98% on the same exams. Durham School of the Arts (77th percentile) and The School for Creative Studies (41st percentile) also outperform Northern, while Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi (8th percentile) and Riverside High (27th percentile) show similar or better standings. This suggests Northern’s low achievement is not simply a citywide issue but tied to its own school model and support gaps.

Trends at Northern are moving in the wrong direction. The school’s graduation rate has declined from 82.9% in 2021–22 to 75.9% in 2025–26, while chronic absenteeism has stubbornly remained in the mid-40s to mid-50s. Subgroup performance reveals deep inequities: gifted/talented students rank in the 2nd percentile statewide, Hispanic students in the 4th, and low-income students in the 9th. Even the strongest subgroup (White students) sits at the 32nd percentile. A striking internal gap also exists between Math I (17.5% proficient) and Math III (52.3% proficient), signaling foundational math struggles. With nearby early colleges and magnets demonstrating far better outcomes for similar student populations, Northern faces urgent challenges around attendance, Math I instruction, and targeted support that will require deliberate intervention to reverse its downward trajectory.

1,281

Students ?

18.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,719

Per pupil spending ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

4622 N Roxboro Street
Durham, NC 27704

(919) 560-3956

District: Durham Public Schools

Feeder schools for Northern High:

Elementary:	Eastway Elementary
	Eno Valley Elementary
	Glenn Elementary
	Little River Elementary
	More...
	Mangum Elementary
	Sandy Ridge Elementary
Middle:	George L Carrington Middle
	Lucas Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.4%

African American:

38.9%

White:

15.4%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Northern High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 22nd percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (34% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (76% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg51%

North Carolina avg60%

592^nd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7High Schools in the Durham Public Schools

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	13.1	592 of 662	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.5	502 of 641	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	586 of 640	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	575 of 626	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	551 of 621	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	534 of 594	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	416 of 514	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	380 of 469	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.6	360 of 476	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.1	394 of 507	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.1	399 of 531	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	13.6	387 of 451	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.3	345 of 505	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	20.4	419 of 502	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.3	427 of 506	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	18.7	435 of 499	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	17.8	423 of 490	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	19.6	406 of 477	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.5	357 of 453	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.5	337 of 431	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.1	396 of 450	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.3	294 of 440	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	14.6	418 of 437	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	403 of 434	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	388 of 430	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	335 of 364	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	288 of 369	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	272 of 359	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	37.5	61 of 89	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	23.4	290 of 334	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	294 of 364	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	342 of 349	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.4	269 of 289	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	234 of 262	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	218 of 226	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	135 of 156	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	153 of 173	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	102 of 147	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.6	568 of 629	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.5	491 of 610	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	577 of 602	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	556 of 588	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.8	529 of 594	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	419 of 475	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	401 of 475	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	373 of 449	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.7	400 of 407	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.8	389 of 412	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	384 of 403	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	390 of 403	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	377 of 398	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.7	317 of 337	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	315 of 325	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	99 of 100	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	454 of 474	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.8	402 of 462	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	429 of 454	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.3	437 of 449	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	403 of 436	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.4	353 of 370	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	312 of 354	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	318 of 340	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	15.6	41 of 44	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.2	563 of 620	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.9	498 of 606	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	573 of 613	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	564 of 597	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	496 of 544	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	408 of 432	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	382 of 446	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.9	375 of 424	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.4	575 of 624	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	488 of 601	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	554 of 607	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	551 of 602	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.8	537 of 585	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.6	434 of 481	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	423 of 488	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.0	399 of 463	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.1	161 of 265	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	75.3	48 of 253	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	16.9	235 of 261	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	244 of 249	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.4	183 of 199	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	177 of 195	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	161 of 185	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.1	332 of 372	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.5	285 of 352	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.0	323 of 349	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	377 of 551	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.1	250 of 542	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.2	413 of 553	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	436 of 537	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	405 of 534	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.9	257 of 439	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	292 of 444	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.7	230 of 427	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2026)39th percentile+29 vs school

White (2026)32nd percentile+21 vs school

Asian (2019)31st percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2021)13th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)12th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile~ school

Female (2026)10th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)9th percentile~ school

Male (2026)8th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)7th percentile-4 vs school

Homeless (2019)7th percentile-12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile-6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)2nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III52%-17 vs state

English II40%-25 vs state

Biology24%-35 vs state

Math I18%-25 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, August 29, 2014

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful school for our son. My oldest graduated from Northern 2 years ago and my youngest is a junior. The teachers and support staff are so loving and caring. Mr Hunt the Principal is the best. My son has a medical condition and is in a wheelchair. I was so scared of high school for him, but Northern has truly made all my fears go away. UKNIGHTED Close Quote

Schools Near Northern High

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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)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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	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 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northern High	Public	9-12	4622 N Roxboro Street	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-3956	1,281	70	18.3	—	197 (15.4%)	498 (38.9%)	517 (40.4%)	23 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (3.4%)	13.1	592^nd of 662 public high schools	10.6%		23.5	502^nd of 641 public high schools	21.7%	90	23.6	39.5	17.5	52.3								$10,719	$535	$10,184
City of Medicine Academy	Public	9-12	301 Crutchfield St	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2001	329	20	16.6	—	24 (7.3%)	121 (36.8%)	157 (47.7%)	11 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.9%)	92.8	39^th of 662 public high schools	94.1%		94.9	25^th of 641 public high schools	96.1%	14	97.8	94.0	89.3	98.8								$12,056	$1,005	$11,051
Lakeview School	Public	6-12	3507 Dearborn Drive	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2520	52	19	2.8	94.2%	3 (5.8%)	32 (61.5%)	8 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (17.3%)								(n/a)	338.9	6.3	538.2	539.6	535.3	9.1	< 5%	8.3	18.2	8.3	16.7	$45,258	$734	$44,524
Riverside High	Public	9-12	3218 Rose of Sharon Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-3965	1,900	94	20.3	—	490 (25.8%)	534 (28.1%)	728 (38.3%)	50 (2.6%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (5.0%)	28.6	485^th of 662 public high schools	26.7%		25.2	492^nd of 641 public high schools	23.2%	7	50.6	55.0	22.2	54.7								$10,389	$739	$9,651
Durham School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	6-12	401 North Duke Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3926	1,764	100	17.6	—	612 (34.7%)	437 (24.8%)	542 (30.7%)	50 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	122 (6.9%)	77.1	154^th of 662 public high schools	76.7%		85.1	111^th of 641 public high schools	82.7%	43	78.6	84.4	64.6	81.3	72.8	71.6	79.2	73.7	73.4	82.4	86.4	$10,260	$523	$9,737
The School for Creative Studies	Public, Magnet	6-12	5001 Red Mill Rd	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3535	350	34	10.2	—	46 (13.1%)	171 (48.9%)	112 (32.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.4%)	42.1	389^th of 662 public high schools	41.2%		30.2	444^th of 641 public high schools	30.7%	55	34.4	65.4		72.3	72.7	45.7	53.7	66.7	50.0	58.5	73.2	$12,022	$1,332	$10,689
Discovery Charter	Public, Charter	6-12	501 Orange Factory Road	Bahama	27722	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%)	39	409^th of 662 public high schools	38.2%					(n/a)	50.7	56.6	44.2	64.3	62.2	53.4	57.0	55.1	62.1	59.1	78.5
Holton Career and Resource Center	Public	9-12	401 North Driver St	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2219	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Durham's Performance Learning Center	Public	9-12	401 North Driver Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-9190	122	17	7.3	90.2%	3 (2.5%)	61 (50.0%)	52 (42.6%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	8	613^th of 662 public high schools	7.4%		3.6	628^th of 641 public high schools	2.0%	15	25.0	26.7		43.3								$15,776	$849	$14,927
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi	Public, Magnet	9-12	800 Clayton Road	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3968	1,384	65	21.2	—	32 (2.3%)	624 (45.1%)	668 (48.3%)	7 (0.5%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	46 (3.3%)	8.9	607^th of 662 public high schools	8.3%		10.4	596^th of 641 public high schools	7.0%	11	20.8	39.2	23.9	28.4								$11,432	$509	$10,923

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern High

What schools feed into Northern High?

Northern High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Eastway Elementary
Elementary : Eno Valley Elementary
Elementary : Glenn Elementary
Elementary : Little River Elementary
Elementary : Mangum Elementary
Elementary : Sandy Ridge Elementary
Middle : George L Carrington Middle
Middle : Lucas Middle

How many students attend Northern High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,281 students attended Northern High.

What district is Northern High in?

Durham Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Northern High?

Students at Northern High are 40% Hispanic, 39% African American, 15% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Northern High a good school?

Northern High ranks in the bottom 10.6% of North Carolina high schools.

Rate Northern High!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.