Durham School of the Arts

Durham School of the Arts (DSA) is a large public arts magnet school in Durham, NC, serving 1,764 students in grades 6–12, a much wider grade span than the traditional high schools around it. It is part of Durham Public Schools, and DSA consistently posts results well above both the district and the state. The school currently ranks in the 77th percentile of North Carolina high schools, earning 4 stars, whereas the district as a whole ranks in the 37th percentile.

DSA’s test scores are dramatically higher than district and state averages in every subject. For example, English II proficiency is 84.4% at DSA, compared with 57.9% for the district and 64.6% for the state; Biology EOC proficiency is 78.6% versus 49.3% for the district. The gap with Durham’s comprehensive high schools is even starker—English II scores are roughly double those at Northern High, Southern School of Energy and Sustainability, and Hillside High. Only smaller specialty schools like City of Medicine Academy and J D Clement Early College High School routinely outrank it statewide.

Attendance and graduation are particular strengths. DSA’s chronic absenteeism rate is 18.5%, less than half the districtwide rate of 36.1% and far better than Northern (53.4%), Southern (52.1%), or Hillside (63.6%). The graduation rate is 94.8%, well above the state rate of 86.9%. DSA also earns strong marks for how well it serves specific student groups, including English learners, special education students, and African American and Hispanic students, all of whom score well above their peers statewide. That said, DSA’s overall ranking has cooled since its pre-pandemic peak of 5 stars in the 91st–93rd percentile; it is now a solidly above-average upper-quarter school rather than an elite one. Finally, note that the recent jump in DSA’s free/reduced-price lunch percentage reflects a change in district meal policy, not a shift in the families the school serves.