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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 27707

At a glance

Schools

2,270

Students

Top rankedRogers-Herr Middle135^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools

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Biggest riser

Sherwood Githens Middle up 3 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

The 27707 zip code in Durham, North Carolina is home to four public middle schools serving grades 6–8 — Sherwood Githens Middle, Rogers-Herr Middle, James E Shepard Middle, and Lakewood Montessori Middle — all part of Durham Public Schools, a district ranked 155th out of 246 in the state.

These schools draw from an extremely high-poverty area—over 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—yet academic outcomes vary widely. Rogers-Herr Middle is the most consistent high performer, ranking in the 83rd percentile statewide three years running and posting 71% overall EOG proficiency. Lakewood Montessori Middle also ranks high, in the 82nd percentile, and still has the highest overall proficiency in the area at 73.7%, including 87.7% in 8th-grade math and science. However, Lakewood has slipped from a 96th-percentile ranking last year due to a sharp drop in its current 6th-grade cohort. By contrast, Sherwood Githens Middle and James E Shepard Middle rank in the low 40th percentile and near 39th percentile, respectively, with overall proficiency around 52%.

Chronic absenteeism is the clearest differentiator between the tiers. Lakewood Montessori has only 6.8% chronic absenteeism, and Rogers-Herr sits at 18.7%, while James E Shepard (21.5%) and especially Sherwood Githens (41.0%) struggle far more—Sherwood's rate is nearly double the district's 36.1% and well above the state's 24.2%. Sherwood also has the lowest per-pupil spending and the highest student-teacher ratio. James E Shepard shows an uneven profile: its 8th-grade science (69.2%) and math (62.9%) beat state averages, but its reading proficiency (45.8%) lags badly. For parents, the top two schools—Rogers-Herr and Lakewood—are outperforming not just their local peers but the state average, making them the strongest options within this high-poverty zip code.

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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)				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/reduced lunch	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	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
James E Shepard Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2401 Dakota Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3938	423	29	14.5		10 (2.4%)	263 (62.2%)	129 (30.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.8%)	40.8	472^nd of 778 public middle schools	39.3%		48.3	401^st of 773 public middle schools	48.1%	71	43.7	50.3	62.9	43.0	49.7	44.7	69.2	$11,998	$1,606	$10,392
Sherwood Githens Middle	Public	6-8	4800 Chapel Hill Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3966	878	51	17.1		235 (26.8%)	238 (27.1%)	305 (34.7%)	37 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (7.1%)	43	453^rd of 778 public middle schools	41.8%		42.4	456^th of 773 public middle schools	41.0%	3	50.2	52.3	54.5	48.8	55.6	54.2	54.5	$10,235	$1,013	$9,222
Rogers-Herr Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	911 Cornwallis Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3970	660	40	16.6		195 (29.5%)	250 (37.9%)	155 (23.5%)	17 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (6.2%)	79.5	135^th of 778 public middle schools	82.6%		83.8	104^th of 773 public middle schools	86.5%	31	65.9	68.7	67.6	66.4	72.5	72.1	83.6	$11,594	$781	$10,812
Lakewood Montessori Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2119 Chapel Hill Rd	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-2894	309	20	15.2		179 (57.9%)	51 (16.5%)	59 (19.1%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.5%)	78.8	139^th of 778 public middle schools	82.1%		95.7	31^st of 773 public middle schools	96.0%	108	57.3	75.4	87.7	51.8	76.9	79.2	87.7	$14,182	$1,909	$12,273

Cities Near Zip Code 27707

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Durham	0.25 mi	74	317^th
Chapel Hill	4.75 mi	22	53^rd
Cary	7.62 mi	34	49^th
Carrboro	8.46 mi	3	97^th
Morrisville	8.58 mi	6	15^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.