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

Northern High

Public Grades 9-12

502^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 22% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Northern High is a public high school located in Durham, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,334 students. It is part of the Durham Public Schools district, which is ranked 163 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The data reveals that Northern High consistently ranks in the bottom half of North Carolina high schools, with a ranking between 502-586 out of 621-641 schools over the past 5 years. The school's performance on End-of-Course (EOC) exams is significantly below the district and state averages across subjects like Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. For example, in 2024-2025, only 31.9% of Northern High students were proficient or better in Biology EOC, compared to 43.4% for the district and 48.3% for the state. Additionally, Northern High's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 77.5% to 87.7% over the past few years, which is lower than the state average.

In contrast, the nearby Durham School of the Arts, Southern School of Energy and Sustainability, and City of Medicine Academy consistently outperform Northern High on academic metrics, with much higher proficiency rates on EOC exams and significantly higher rankings among North Carolina high schools. The data also suggests that Northern High struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, with large achievement gaps between different demographic groups.

1,281

Students ?

18.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,719

Per pupil spending ?

99.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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: Holding steady — 25th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (37% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (78% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg45%

North Carolina avg53%

502^nd of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 12High Schools in the Durham Public Schools

163^rd of 242Durham 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)81st percentile+59 vs school

White (2025)54th percentile+32 vs school

African American (2025)33rd percentile+11 vs school

Asian (2019)31st percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)19th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)19th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2021)13th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)13th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)11th percentile~ school

Homeless (2019)7th percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)6th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III60%-7 vs state

English II39%-21 vs state

Biology32%-16 vs state

Math I21%-13 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Northern High

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
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

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	99.8%	197 (15.4%)	498 (38.9%)	517 (40.4%)	23 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (3.4%)	23.5	502^nd of 641 public high schools	21.7%		10.9	586^th of 640 public high schools	8.4%	84	31.9	38.6	21.5	59.5								$10,719	$535	$10,184
City of Medicine Academy	Public	9-12	301 Crutchfield Road	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2001	329	20	16.6	98.5%	24 (7.3%)	121 (36.8%)	157 (47.7%)	11 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.9%)	94.9	25^th of 641 public high schools	96.1%		85	112^th of 640 public high schools	82.5%	87	95.9	94.4	86.5	97.1								$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%)	1.1	641^st of 641 public high schools	0.0%		1.1	640^th of 640 public high schools	0.0%	1		5.9		15.8		5.0			20.0	6.3		$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	99.8%	490 (25.8%)	534 (28.1%)	728 (38.3%)	50 (2.6%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (5.0%)	25.2	492^nd of 641 public high schools	23.2%		25	484^th of 640 public high schools	24.4%	8	38.5	46.6	17.9	49.2								$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	99.2%	612 (34.7%)	437 (24.8%)	542 (30.7%)	50 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	122 (6.9%)	85.1	111^th of 641 public high schools	82.7%		80.5	132^nd of 640 public high schools	79.4%	21	77.0	87.9	59.2	86.9	66.2	78.2	83.2	70.0	74.7	78.2	78.6	$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	98.9%	46 (13.1%)	171 (48.9%)	112 (32.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.4%)	30.2	444^th of 641 public high schools	30.7%		35	405^th of 640 public high schools	36.7%	39	62.5	42.0	39.4	39.5	50.9	39.5	45.8	43.6	36.8	52.5	62.7	$12,022	$1,332	$10,689
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%)	3.6	628^th of 641 public high schools	2.0%		14.1	558^th of 640 public high schools	12.8%	70	11.9	8.3		23.5								$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	99.8%	32 (2.3%)	624 (45.1%)	668 (48.3%)	7 (0.5%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	46 (3.3%)	10.4	596^th of 641 public high schools	7.0%		8.5	604^th of 640 public high schools	5.6%	8	16.3	35.1	16.4	30.6								$11,432	$509	$10,923
J D Clement Early College High School	Public	9-12	1801 Fayetteville Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-2696	380	14	26.2	99.2%	16 (4.2%)	214 (56.3%)	119 (31.3%)	12 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.7%)	94.8	26^th of 641 public high schools	95.9%		94.1	37^th of 640 public high schools	94.2%	11	89.7	97.7	85.7	98.9								$8,162	$393	$7,769

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern High

What district is Northern High in?

Durham Public Schools

Is Northern High a good school?

Northern High ranks in the bottom 21.7% of North Carolina high 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.

How many students attend Northern High?

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

Rate Northern High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina High 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 Northern High!

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.