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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27703

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

6,718

Students

Districts

Top rankedOak Grove Elementary599^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

R N Harris Elementary up 229 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Durham's Performance Learning Center 7.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

0★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Summary:

Zip code 27703 in Durham, North Carolina, contains 12 schools serving roughly 6,718 students from pre-K through 12th grade. The group includes nine elementary schools (many spanning K-8), two high schools, and one alternative K-12 school, but no standalone middle schools. Schools are split between Durham Public Schools and independent charter districts, and every school with reported free/reduced lunch data serves a population that is at least 90% economically disadvantaged. Chronic absenteeism averages about 35%, well above the state average of 24.2%.

The strongest overall school is Durham Charter School, which posts the lowest chronic absenteeism (13.5%), an 89.4% graduation rate, and strong math and science results from 3rd grade through high school. Among Durham Public Schools, Oak Grove Elementary shows the most momentum, jumping from the 20th to the 60th percentile statewide, while Maureen Joy Charter School excels in the upper grades with 8th grade reading and science proficiency well above state averages. At the other end, Y E Smith Elementary ranks in the 4th percentile statewide despite spending the most per student, and the two traditional high schools, Southern School of Energy and Sustainability and Durham's Performance Learning Center, both sit near the bottom of statewide rankings with chronic absenteeism above 50%.

Chronic absenteeism is the strongest warning sign: the lowest-performing schools all exceed 40% absenteeism, while Durham Charter School has the lowest rate at 13.5%. With no standalone middle schools, students move through K-8 charters and elementary schools, and proficiency often declines by 8th grade; Maureen Joy Charter School is a notable exception. Charter status does not guarantee success, either: Research Triangle Charter and The Institute Development Young Leaders lag state averages, while traditional schools like Spring Valley Elementary and R N Harris Elementary post competitive results. The key takeaway is that individual school performance and attendance rates matter more than school type in zip code 27703.

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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 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Maureen Joy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	107 South Driver Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Maureen Joy Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 908-1600	631	54	11.6	99.2%	15 (2.4%)	158 (25.0%)	425 (67.4%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	38.6	931^st of 1492 public elementary schools	37.6%		37.2	959^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.6%	28					67.2	67.7	40.0	69.1	81.9	68.1	45.3	54.8	41.4	42.6	56.9	71.0	50.0	79.7
Durham Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4621 Kemp Road	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 956-5599	1,010	73	13.8	99.0%	17 (1.7%)	185 (18.3%)	783 (77.5%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.1%)								(n/a)	61.9	64.4	70.0	89.7	83.0	80.7	84.0	80.8	67.6	45.9	56.4	67.0	49.0	75.8	71.4	50.0	79.0	76.5
Research Triangle Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	2418 Ellis Road	Durham	27703	Durham County	Research Triangle Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 957-7108	710	33	21.8	99.6%	23 (3.2%)	459 (64.6%)	170 (23.9%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (7.2%)	27.1	1157^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.5%		18.1	1314^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.8%	157					30.9	45.8	37.1	33.3	50.0	55.6	36.2	62.5	54.8	40.5	52.5	50.8	66.1	50.0
The Institute Development Young Leaders	Public, Charter	K-8	4300 S. Miami Blvd.	Durham	27703	Durham County	The Institute for the Development of You	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 308-9731	419	26	16.2		5 (1.2%)	214 (51.1%)	181 (43.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.8%)	28.1	1133^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	24.1%		39.3	930^th of 1490 public elementary schools	37.6%	203					26.8	36.5	69.0	53.4	58.1	50.0	23.2	28.8	66.7	37.9	55.8	41.7	66.7	75.0
Reaching All Minds Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2703 Holloway St.	Durham	27703	Durham County	Reaching All Minds Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 596-1899	391	36	10.9		45 (11.5%)	52 (13.3%)	289 (73.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	45.7	809^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.8%		52.1	710^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.3%	99					70.0	62.5	72.7	35.3	48.8	46.3	34.0	57.5	54.5	41.2	46.5	41.5	77.3	36.6
Bethesda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2009 S Miami Boulevard	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3904	442	32	13.8	99.3%	33 (7.5%)	209 (47.3%)	171 (38.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.9%)	24.2	1203^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	19.4%		25.5	1169^th of 1490 public elementary schools	21.5%	34					40.6	49.4	44.9				44.9	52.5	42.3				50.6		$10,668	$1,389	$9,280
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3810 Wake Forest Road	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3960	395	34	11.6	99.2%	34 (8.6%)	164 (41.5%)	169 (42.8%)	7 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.3%)	59.1	599^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.9%		59.1	580^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.1%	19					68.9	70.6	56.1				63.9	52.9	52.6				77.2		$12,244	$1,497	$10,747
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
R N Harris Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 Cooper Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3967	313	22	14.5	99.0%	11 (3.5%)	146 (46.6%)	136 (43.5%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	37.4	954^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.1%		25.1	1183^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	20.6%	229					54.1	44.7	67.3				41.5	34.0	45.3				78.4		$14,110	$1,680	$12,430
Y E Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 E Main Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3900	358	23	15.6	99.2%	11 (3.1%)	145 (40.5%)	182 (50.8%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	9.1	1430^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.2%		3.4	1482^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	0.5%	52					58.1	39.1	19.1				30.2	34.8	8.5				14.9		$17,541	$3,182	$14,359
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
Spring Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2051 Northern Durham Prky	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-2890	543	33	16.5	99.3%	81 (14.9%)	273 (50.3%)	134 (24.7%)	17 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.8%)	48.1	764^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.8%		46	818^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.1%	54					72.1	54.7	57.3				60.3	53.1	52.4				59.8		$11,287	$1,274	$10,013
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)

Cities Near Zip Code 27703

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Durham	1.18 mi	74	322^nd
Raleigh	5.34 mi	108	176^th
Morrisville	6.07 mi	6	31^st
Cary	8.6 mi	34	50^th
Chapel Hill	10.33 mi	22	59^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

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.