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Riverside High

Public Grades 9-12
492nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 641 North Carolina High Schools
Better than 23% of North Carolina high schools
Summary

Riverside High is a public high school in Durham, North Carolina, serving 1,851 students in grades 9-12. It 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.

Riverside High has consistently underperformed compared to state and district averages on End-of-Course (EOC) exams, with proficiency rates significantly lower in subjects like Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. The school's four-year graduation rate, while improving, still lags behind state and district averages. Additionally, Riverside High's performance varies greatly across different student subgroups, with White students performing relatively well but Asian, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students performing poorly.

Interestingly, Riverside High's performance is generally lower than nearby schools in the Durham Public Schools district, such as The School for Creative Studies, J.D. Clement Early College High School, and Durham School of the Arts, which consistently outperform Riverside High on academic measures and have higher graduation rates. This suggests that the specialized curriculum and selective admissions process of these magnet schools may contribute to their success.

1,900
Students ?
20.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,389
Per pupil spending ?
99.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 3218 Rose of Sharon Road
       Durham, NC  27712-3130

(919) 560-3965

District: Durham Public Schools


Feeder schools for Riverside High:

Elementary:    E K Powe Elementary
    Hillandale Elementary
    Holt Elementary
Middle:    Brogden Middle
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
38.3%
African American:
28.1%
White:
25.8%
more
 See top rated North Carolina high schools

 Compare Riverside High to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 33rd percentile in 2015 → 23rd in 2025
Worth a look
!Test scores below the North Carolina average (39% vs 53% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)
!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (76% vs 88%)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school39%
District avg45%
North Carolina avg53%
492nd of 641
North Carolina public high schools ?
Bottom 23%▼ down 9 pts since 2015
From bottom 33% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 12High Schools in the Durham Public Schools
163rd 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202525.2492 of 64123.2%★☆☆☆☆
202425.0484 of 64024.4%★☆☆☆☆
202331.1427 of 62631.8%★★☆☆☆
202231.6424 of 62131.7%★★☆☆☆
202127.0425 of 59428.5%★☆☆☆☆
201931.0339 of 51434.0%★★☆☆☆
201836.5288 of 46938.6%★★☆☆☆
201725.4338 of 47629.0%★☆☆☆☆
201625.7344 of 50732.1%★★☆☆☆
201526.4358 of 53132.6%★★☆☆☆
201425.8310 of 45131.3%★★☆☆☆
201328.9317 of 50537.2%★★☆☆☆
201235.1343 of 50231.7%★★☆☆☆
201137.0380 of 50624.9%★☆☆☆☆
201038.3362 of 49927.5%★☆☆☆☆
200935.4367 of 49025.1%★☆☆☆☆
200845.1287 of 47739.8%★★☆☆☆
200748.1243 of 45346.4%★★☆☆☆
200647.5251 of 43141.8%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202521.1376 of 44014.5%★☆☆☆☆
202424.3350 of 43719.9%★☆☆☆☆
202326.1330 of 43424.0%★☆☆☆☆
202226.7330 of 43023.3%★☆☆☆☆
202129.1242 of 36433.5%★★☆☆☆
201928.4274 of 36925.7%★☆☆☆☆
201831.9243 of 35932.3%★★☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
20254.2103 of 1062.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202422.381 of 10119.8%★☆☆☆☆
202353.852 of 9846.9%★★☆☆☆
202263.236 of 9160.4%★★★☆☆
202142.256 of 8332.5%★★☆☆☆
201965.033 of 8962.9%★★★☆☆
201864.833 of 7757.1%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202253.6104 of 33068.5%★★★☆☆
202129.2246 of 33426.3%★☆☆☆☆
201956.7105 of 36471.2%★★★★☆
201841.8172 of 34950.7%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202517.6256 of 2736.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202219.2154 of 1561.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201935.6112 of 17335.3%★★☆☆☆
201831.699 of 14732.7%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202520.7503 of 61017.5%★☆☆☆☆
202419.2498 of 60217.3%★☆☆☆☆
202328.4428 of 58827.2%★☆☆☆☆
202226.6442 of 59425.6%★☆☆☆☆
202122.2358 of 47524.6%★☆☆☆☆
201922.5373 of 47521.5%★☆☆☆☆
201826.8334 of 44925.6%★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202545.0282 of 41231.6%★★☆☆☆
202444.2292 of 40327.5%★☆☆☆☆
202360.2180 of 40355.3%★★★☆☆
202260.8184 of 39853.8%★★★☆☆
202128.9270 of 33719.9%★☆☆☆☆
201948.3198 of 32539.1%★★☆☆☆
201865.027 of 10073.0%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202512.6446 of 4623.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202410.0443 of 4542.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202312.7431 of 4494.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202214.5408 of 4366.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202112.7358 of 3703.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201919.5310 of 35412.4%★☆☆☆☆
201829.0250 of 34026.5%★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202429.537 of 4721.3%★☆☆☆☆
202325.537 of 4517.8%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202516.5552 of 6068.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202415.4555 of 6139.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202317.3529 of 59711.4%★☆☆☆☆
202219.3476 of 54412.5%★☆☆☆☆
202116.5397 of 4328.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201920.5366 of 44617.9%★☆☆☆☆
201827.7307 of 42427.6%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202527.1458 of 60123.8%★☆☆☆☆
202428.4445 of 60726.7%★☆☆☆☆
202332.6402 of 60233.2%★★☆☆☆
202234.1381 of 58534.9%★★☆☆☆
202130.2300 of 48137.6%★★☆☆☆
201935.2295 of 48839.5%★★☆☆☆
201842.5248 of 46346.4%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202542.8157 of 25337.9%★★☆☆☆
202452.3118 of 26154.8%★★★☆☆
202341.5146 of 24941.4%★★☆☆☆
202242.4119 of 22647.3%★★☆☆☆
202171.844 of 19977.9%★★★★☆
201980.328 of 19585.6%★★★★☆
201872.646 of 18575.1%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202526.6279 of 35220.7%★☆☆☆☆
202438.3191 of 34945.3%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202586.182 of 54284.9%★★★★☆
202477.3130 of 55376.5%★★★★☆
202384.390 of 53783.2%★★★★☆
202283.790 of 53483.1%★★★★☆
202177.947 of 43989.3%★★★★☆
201979.250 of 44488.7%★★★★☆
201880.457 of 42786.7%★★★★☆
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)
White (2025)85th percentile+62 vs school
Disabled (2022)68th percentile+37 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)38th percentile+15 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)32nd percentile+8 vs school
Male (2025)24th percentile~ school
Homeless (2024)21st percentile-3 vs school
Special Education (2025)21st percentile-3 vs school
Female (2025)18th percentile-6 vs school
African American (2025)15th percentile-9 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)9th percentile-14 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)6th percentile-17 vs school
Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile-20 vs school
Asian (2025)3rd percentile-20 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?
Math III49%-17 vs state
English II47%-13 vs state
Biology38%-10 vs state
Math I18%-17 vs state

4.0
2 ratings · 1 written review
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by a parent
Sunday, April 17, 2022

Open Quote Top reasons to choose Riverside: top ranked PLTW Engineering program, Air Force ROTC, a multitude of sports options, many AP level course options, 40 plus clubs, smart lunch, dedicated library staff, current technology, teachers that hold students accountable, etc. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Riverside High

Riverside High ranks in the bottom 23.2% of North Carolina high schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,900 students attended Riverside High.

Students at Riverside High are 38% Hispanic, 28% African American, 26% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Riverside High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : E K Powe Elementary
Elementary : Hillandale Elementary
Elementary : Holt Elementary
Middle : Brogden 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.





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