Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 27713

In zip code 27713 in Durham, NC, there are six elementary school options: five traditional public schools in Durham Public Schools serving grades PK-5, plus Kestrel Heights School, a charter serving grades K-8. The strongest current performers are Lyons Farm Elementary, Pearsontown Elementary, and Southwest Elementary, all of which score above state averages on 3rd–5th grade end-of-grade tests despite serving student bodies where more than 99% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In contrast, Parkwood Elementary and Murray-Massenburg Elementary are below district and state averages, with Parkwood landing in the bottom 5% of North Carolina schools.

Among the high-poverty traditional schools, Pearsontown has the strongest historical record but has slipped from the 91st percentile to the 75th over three years, while Southwest has improved from the 64th to the 74th percentile in the same period. Kestrel Heights, which has a much lower poverty rate (56% free/reduced lunch), is ranked only in the 38th percentile, below all three top-performing DPS schools. Chronic absenteeism tracks achievement closely: Parkwood (46.1%) and Murray-Massenburg (27.9%) are highest, while Pearsontown (16.2%) and Lyons Farm (16.8%) are lowest. Early reading is a key weakness at the low end: 3rd-grade reading proficiency ranges from about 74.5% at Lyons Farm down to 34.5% at Parkwood.

A notable takeaway is that high-poverty schools can succeed, and chronic absenteeism is a clearer signal than poverty alone. Another is that one-year swings can be misleading; several schools saw 10-plus point gains or drops in specific subjects, reflecting changing cohorts more than overall quality. Finally, families considering Kestrel Heights should note that its math proficiency declines sharply by grade level, with only about 19% of 8th graders proficient. Overall, school quality in this ZIP code is not uniform—parents need to look at each school’s trend, attendance, and early literacy data rather than assuming all schools in the same area are alike.