Durham Public Schools

511 Cleveland Street
Durham, NC 27701-3334
(District boundaries shown in map)
4/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Durham Public Schools ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
Student Attention
Lowest student-teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2025-26 school year, there are 15 public middle schools serving 8,335 students in Durham Public Schools. This district's average middle testing ranking is 4/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in North Carolina.
Public Middle Schools in Durham Public Schools have an average math proficiency score of 38% (versus the North Carolina public middle school average of 48%), and reading proficiency score of 45% (versus the 50% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 79% of the student body (majority Black and Hispanic), which is more than the North Carolina public middle school average of 56% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
57 Schools
880 Schools
# Students
31,339 Students
493,642 Students
# Teachers
2,341 Teachers
31,617 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
13:1
13:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Durham Public Schools, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 82% has increased from 81% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#214 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
(21-22)
42%
51%
44%
50%
56%
63%
(21-22)
84%
86%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.70
0.71
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
2%
4%
% Hispanic
35%
20%
% Black
37%
25%
% White
20%
44%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
6%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $14,541 is higher than the state median of $11,191. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $14,270 is higher than the state median of $11,616. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (NC)
Total Revenue
$456 MM
$17,307 MM
Spending
$447 MM
$17,964 MM
Revenue / Student
$14,541
$11,191
Spending / Student
$14,270
$11,616

Best Durham Public Schools Public Middle Schools (2025-26)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Lakewood Montessori Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 71% | Reading: 78%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
2119 Chapel Hill Rd
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-2894
Gr: 6-8 | 303 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 44%
Rank: #22.
Durham School Of The Arts
Magnet School
(Math: 71% | Reading: 73%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
401 North Duke Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 560-3926
Gr: 6-12 | 1,767 student Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 64%
Rank: #33.
Rogers-herr Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 62% | Reading: 67%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
911 Cornwallis Road
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-3970
Gr: 6-8 | 631 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 72%
Rank: #44.
Dps Hospital School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50% )
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
Dumc Room 3605
Durham, NC 27710
(919) 684-5684
Gr: PK-12
Rank: #55.
Little River K-8 School
(Math: 48% | Reading: 44%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
2315 Snow Hill Road
Durham, NC 27712
(919) 560-3940
Gr: PK-8 | 308 students Student-teacher ratio: 9:1 Minority enrollment: 56%
Rank: #66.
Sherwood Githens Middle School
(Math: 43% | Reading: 47%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
4800 Chapel Hill Road
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-3966
Gr: 6-8 | 811 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 73%
Rank: #77.
James E Shepard Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 43% | Reading: 46%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
2401 Dakota Street
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 560-3938
Gr: 6-8 | 400 students Student-teacher ratio: 12:1 Minority enrollment: 98%
Rank: #88.
The School For Creative Studies
Magnet School
(Math: 28% | Reading: 46%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
5001 Red Mill Rd
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-3535
Gr: 6-12 | 438 students Student-teacher ratio: 11:1 Minority enrollment: 86%
Rank: #99.
George L Carrington Middle School
(Math: 36% | Reading: 34%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
227 Milton Road
Durham, NC 27712
(919) 560-3916
Gr: 6-8 | 738 students Student-teacher ratio: 13:1 Minority enrollment: 88%
Rank: #1010.
Ignite Online Academy
(Math: 19% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
5321 Ephesus Church Rd.
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 972-4400
Gr: K-12 | 369 students Student-teacher ratio: 10:1 Minority enrollment: 82%
Rank: #1111.
Lucas Middle School
(Math: 29% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
923 Snow Hill Road
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-3843
Gr: 6-8 | 413 students Student-teacher ratio: 13:1 Minority enrollment: 87%
Rank: #1212.
Lowe's Grove Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 19% | Reading: 32%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
4418 S Alston Avenue
Durham, NC 27713
(919) 560-3946
Gr: 6-8 | 624 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 95%
Rank: #1313.
Brogden Middle School
(Math: 25% | Reading: 28%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
1001 Leon Street
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-3906
Gr: 6-8 | 693 students Student-teacher ratio: 13:1 Minority enrollment: 88%
Rank: #1414.
Neal Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 15% | Reading: 26%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
201 Baptist Road
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-3955
Gr: 6-8 | 770 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 96%
Rank: #1515.
Lakeview School
Alternative School
(Math: 6-9% | Reading: ≤5%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
3507 Dearborn Drive
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 560-2520
Gr: 6-12 | 70 students Student-teacher ratio: 4:1 Minority enrollment: 97%

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Quick Facts (2025-26)

  • District size: 57 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 31,339 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 13:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 80%
  • : 84% (Top 50% in NC)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 42% (Btm 50%)
  • : 44% (Btm 50%)
  • : 56% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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