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Durham's Performance Learning Center

Q: Is Durham's Performance Learning Center a good school?

Durham's Performance Learning Center ranks in the bottom 7.4% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Durham's Performance Learning Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 122 students attended Durham's Performance Learning Center.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Durham's Performance Learning Center?

Students at Durham's Performance Learning Center are 50% African American, 43% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

Public Grades 9-12

613^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 7% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Durham's Performance Learning Center is a very small high school serving 122 students in grades 9–12 within Durham Public Schools, located in central Durham and designed as a performance/alternative learning environment for students who may need credit recovery or extra support. Over 90% of its students qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, and the school has historically ranked near the bottom of North Carolina high schools — in 2025–2026 it placed 613 out of 662 (7th percentile) with a 0-star rating.

Graduation and test scores tell a concerning story. DPLC's graduation rate was 59.6% for 2025–2026, far below the district's 80.3% and state's 88.8%. Nearby comprehensive high schools fare better: Northern High graduates 75.9%, Hillside High 74.4%, and Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi 78.1%. End-of-course proficiency is also low — in Biology just 25% scored proficient, English II 26.7%, and Math III 43.3%. By contrast, City of Medicine Academy and J D Clement Early College High School, both high-poverty but selective magnet schools, score above 90% proficient on most exams. Chronic absenteeism is another red flag: 56% of DPLC students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, versus 36.1% for the district and 24.2% statewide.

What makes these outcomes especially striking is that DPLC is not under-resourced. Its per-pupil spending of $15,776 is well above nearby schools like Northern ($10,719) or Durham School of the Arts ($10,260), and its student-teacher ratio is just 7.3 — far lower than most other high schools. Yet even with small classes and high spending, achievement remains near the bottom. There were some improvements in 2025–2026 from an especially weak prior year, but with such a small student population, sustained progress will take time. For parents weighing options, DPLC stands out as a high-need alternative setting that has not yet translated its resources into competitive outcomes compared with other Durham Public Schools high schools.

122

Students ?

7.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,776

Per pupil spending ?

90.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

401 North Driver Street
Durham, NC 27703

(919) 560-9190

District: Durham Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.0%

Hispanic:

42.6%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Durham's Performance Learning Center to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2016 → 7th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (32% vs 64% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (60% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg56%

North Carolina avg64%

613^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 7High Schools in the Durham Public Schools

155^th of 246Durham 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
2026	8.0	613 of 662	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.6	628 of 641	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	558 of 640	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	1.9	624 of 626	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.6	613 of 621	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.9	591 of 594	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.6	500 of 514	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.5	465 of 469	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.2	458 of 476	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.8	473 of 507	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.0	487 of 531	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.5	451 of 451	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.0	449 of 505	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	4.9	461 of 502	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	12.9	443 of 506	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.6	419 of 499	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	9.3	444 of 490	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	12.9	422 of 477	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	408 of 450	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.8	430 of 440	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.3	433 of 434	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.8	361 of 369	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	353 of 359	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	17.6	338 of 364	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.9	606 of 629	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.6	596 of 610	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	558 of 602	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.9	588 of 588	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.7	593 of 594	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.4	471 of 475	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.6	449 of 449	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	422 of 474	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.5	457 of 462	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.1	449 of 449	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.2	353 of 354	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.6	576 of 620	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.4	595 of 606	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	593 of 597	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	439 of 446	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.2	420 of 424	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.1	579 of 624	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.0	597 of 601	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.1	596 of 602	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.5	460 of 463	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)11th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)9th percentile~ school

Male (2026)7th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)7th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile~ school

Female (2026)4th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III43%-26 vs state

English II27%-38 vs state

Biology25%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Durham's Performance Learning Center

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
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%)	8	613^th of 662 public high schools	7.4%		3.6	628^th of 641 public high schools	2.0%	15	25.0	26.7		43.3								$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)
Durham Early College of Health Sciences	Public	9-12	41 Moore Drive	Durham	27709	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%)	66.3	211^th of 662 public high schools	68.1%					(n/a)	81.8	69.8	50.0	100.0								$8,584	$195	$8,389
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%)	90.5	69^th of 662 public high schools	89.6%		94.8	26^th of 641 public high schools	95.9%	43	92.2	91.8	79.5	98.8								$8,162	$393	$7,769
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%)	77.1	154^th of 662 public high schools	76.7%		85.1	111^th of 641 public high schools	82.7%	43	78.6	84.4	64.6	81.3	72.8	71.6	79.2	73.7	73.4	82.4	86.4	$10,260	$523	$9,737
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%)	19.6	556^th of 662 public high schools	16.0%		15.3	558^th of 641 public high schools	12.9%	2	43.6	46.3	25.6	43.9								$11,407	$967	$10,441
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%)	8.9	607^th of 662 public high schools	8.3%		10.4	596^th of 641 public high schools	7.0%	11	20.8	39.2	23.9	28.4								$11,432	$509	$10,923
Durham School of Technology	Public	9-12	3727 Fayetteville St	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-9183	219	16	13.5	98.6%	13 (5.9%)	146 (66.7%)	49 (22.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.0%)	69.9	188^th of 662 public high schools	71.6%		78.9	139^th of 641 public high schools	78.3%	49	77.8	81.3	54.8	75.4								$8,663	$236	$8,427
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%)								(n/a)	338.9	6.3	538.2	539.6	535.3	9.1	< 5%	8.3	18.2	8.3	16.7	$45,258	$734	$44,524
City of Medicine Academy	Public	9-12	301 Crutchfield St	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%)	92.8	39^th of 662 public high schools	94.1%		94.9	25^th of 641 public high schools	96.1%	14	97.8	94.0	89.3	98.8								$12,056	$1,005	$11,051

Frequently Asked Questions about Durham's Performance Learning Center

What district is Durham's Performance Learning Center in?

Durham Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Durham's Performance Learning Center?

Students at Durham's Performance Learning Center are 50% African American, 43% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

Is Durham's Performance Learning Center a good school?

Durham's Performance Learning Center ranks in the bottom 7.4% of North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend Durham's Performance Learning Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 122 students attended Durham's Performance Learning Center.

Rate Durham's Performance Learning Center!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.