Summary:
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi is a public high school in Durham, North Carolina, serving 1,283 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Durham Public Schools district, which is ranked 140 out of 243 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 ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina high schools, with proficiency rates on end-of-course exams significantly below state and district averages. For example, in 2022-2023, the school's proficiency rates were just 30.4% in Biology, 29.3% in English II, 14.7% in Math I, and 34.3% in Math III, compared to state averages of 54.1%, 58.5%, 35.9%, and 58.3%, respectively. The school's performance has also declined over the years. Certain student subgroups, such as African American, Hispanic, and low-income students, perform particularly poorly, ranking in the bottom 25% of North Carolina high schools.
Compared to nearby schools like The School for Creative Studies, City of Medicine Academy, and Hillside High, Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi generally underperforms on academic measures, despite having similar funding levels. The school's high percentage of economically disadvantaged students (99.77%) and relatively high student-teacher ratio of 16.3 may be contributing factors to its academic challenges, which require targeted interventions and support to improve educational outcomes for its students.
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