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Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

596^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 7% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi is a public magnet high school in Durham, North Carolina, serving 1,352 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Durham Public Schools district, which is ranked 163 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its focus on energy and sustainability, Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages on end-of-course exams across subjects like Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were significantly lower than the district and state averages: Biology (16.3% vs. 43.4% and 48.3%), English II (35.1% vs. 53.5% and 59.6%), Math I (16.4% vs. 27.4% and 34.4%), and Math III (30.6% vs. 55.4% and 66.4%). The school's four-year graduation rate has been improving, but still lags behind the state average.

Interestingly, nearby magnet schools like The School for Creative Studies, City of Medicine Academy, and Durham School of the Arts significantly outperform Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi on academic measures, with higher proficiency rates, graduation rates, and state rankings. To improve outcomes, the school may need to explore strategies to better support its student population and consider adjustments to its curriculum, instructional practices, and resource allocation.

1,384

Students ?

21.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,432

Per pupil spending ?

99.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

800 Clayton Road
Durham, NC 27703-2606

(919) 560-3968

District: Durham Public Schools

Feeder schools for Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi:

Elementary:	Merrick-Moore Elementary
	Oak Grove Elementary
	Spring Valley Elementary
	Y E Smith Elementary
Middle:	Neal Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.3%

African American:

45.1%

Two or more races:

3.3%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 13th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (24% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (77% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg45%

North Carolina avg53%

596^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 13% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^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	10.4	596 of 641	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	604 of 640	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	555 of 626	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	557 of 621	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.8	566 of 594	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	444 of 514	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	409 of 469	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	8.1	431 of 476	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.3	457 of 507	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	8.2	463 of 531	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	4.4	439 of 451	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.0	450 of 505	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.6	392 of 502	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.3	434 of 506	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	5.7	459 of 499	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	7.7	449 of 490	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	12.2	423 of 477	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.2	371 of 453	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.1	381 of 431	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	23.1	363 of 440	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	385 of 437	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	364 of 434	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	318 of 430	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	343 of 364	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	261 of 369	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	245 of 359	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	15.0	328 of 330	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	44.4	180 of 364	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	24.3	290 of 349	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	252 of 273	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	256 of 262	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	194 of 226	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.2	96 of 173	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.6	585 of 610	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	585 of 602	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	539 of 588	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	552 of 594	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	461 of 475	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	446 of 475	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	424 of 449	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.3	377 of 412	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	393 of 403	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	383 of 403	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.0	389 of 398	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	0.1	335 of 337	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.6	321 of 325	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.3	94 of 100	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	450 of 462	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	440 of 454	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	413 of 449	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	398 of 436	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	337 of 370	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	298 of 354	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.0	313 of 340	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	35.1	33 of 44	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	568 of 606	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	558 of 613	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	518 of 597	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	501 of 544	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	413 of 432	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	363 of 446	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	362 of 424	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.3	558 of 601	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	574 of 607	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	545 of 602	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	509 of 585	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	469 of 481	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	411 of 488	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	397 of 463	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.3	182 of 253	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.7	186 of 261	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.9	116 of 249	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	16.7	208 of 226	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	160 of 352	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	23.0	303 of 349	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	41.1	317 of 537	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.5	420 of 444	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	404 of 427	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)55th percentile+48 vs school

White (2023)41st percentile+30 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)28th percentile+21 vs school

Homeless (2019)25th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)18th percentile+10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)8th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)8th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)1st percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II35%-24 vs state

Math III31%-36 vs state

Math I16%-18 vs state

Biology16%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

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
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
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
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)
Middle College High School @ DTCC	Public	11-12	1637 Lawson Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 536-7203	164	7	23.4	98.2%	53 (32.3%)	46 (28.0%)	46 (28.0%)	5 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	13 (7.9%)								(n/a)				85.3								$8,584	$195	$8,389
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
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
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
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
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
Hillside High	Public, Magnet	9-12	3727 Fayetteville St	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3925	1,433	82	17.3	99.8%	27 (1.9%)	859 (59.9%)	460 (32.1%)	19 (1.3%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	62 (4.3%)	15.3	558^th of 641 public high schools	12.9%		14	560^th of 640 public high schools	12.5%	2	31.2	38.9	17.1	32.1								$11,407	$967	$10,441

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

Is Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi a good school?

Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi ranks in the bottom 7.0% of North Carolina high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?

Students at Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi are 48% Hispanic, 45% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What district is Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi in?

Durham Public Schools

How many students attend Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,384 students attended Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi.

What schools feed into Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?

Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Merrick-Moore Elementary
Elementary : Oak Grove Elementary
Elementary : Spring Valley Elementary
Elementary : Y E Smith Elementary
Middle : Neal Middle

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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.