Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 27705

Zip code 27705 in Durham, NC has five elementary-level school listings — three traditional Durham Public Schools schools serving PK–5 and two K–8 charters — enrolling about 2,100 students, with near-universal economic disadvantage (free/reduced lunch rates above 98%). E K Powe Elementary is the standout, earning the area’s highest rank at the 42nd state percentile and producing the only multiple grade-level results above DPS district averages. It also has the area’s lowest student-teacher ratio, and its 4th grade reading (62.5%) exceeds the state average. Forest View Elementary, the largest school at 662 students, is the strongest improvement story: its state percentile rose from 28th in 2023–24 to 37th in 2025–26, with 5th grade reading at 57.1% — above DPS and the state.

Hillandale Elementary is the area’s lowest traditional school, stuck at the 8th percentile despite the best attendance rate (18.1% chronic absenteeism, below the state’s 24.2%). Its scores lag district and state averages in every tested grade, showing attendance alone does not solve academic gaps. Among charters, Community School of Digital & Visual Art has one standout 6th grade math result but severe upper-grade weakness, including 8th grade math at 6.3% and reading at 18.8%. Global Scholars Academy has an opposite profile: strong math/science — 8th grade science at 90%, 4th grade math at 64% — but alarming reading numbers, including 3rd grade reading at 16.7% and 5th grade reading at 15.0%. Both charters have high chronic absenteeism: 35.0% and 41.5% respectively.

Across all five schools, poverty is similar but outcomes are not: state percentiles range from 8th to 42nd. Reading is the zone’s biggest issue. No school reaches the state’s 55.6% proficiency in 3rd grade reading; E K Powe Elementary and Forest View Elementary top the local group around 43%, while Global Scholars Academy is lowest at 16.7%. Small charter cohorts also make test scores swing sharply from year to year, so those results should be read cautiously. In short, E K Powe Elementary is the strongest all-around choice and Forest View Elementary is improving; Hillandale Elementary and the charter schools are higher-risk options, especially for families concerned about early literacy.