Public schools in Durham, NC
Durham has 68 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 14 high, 9 middle, 39 elementary, 6 other, enrolling 44,824 students. They are run by 16 districts and agencies; Durham Public Schools runs 53 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 16 districts and agencies that run Durham's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Durham | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham Public Schools | 53 | 31,531 | $15,239 |
| North Carolina Virtual Academy | 1 | 3,047 | $8,102 |
| North Carolina Cyber Academy | 1 | 2,372 | $10,841 |
| Voyager Academy | 1 | 1,361 | $11,634 |
| Excelsior Classical Academy | 1 | 987 | $9,184 |
| Durham Charter School | 1 | 643 | $14,726 |
| Research Triangle Charter Academy | 1 | 693 | $12,802 |
| Maureen Joy Charter | 1 | 616 | $15,258 |
| Central Park School For Children | 1 | 594 | $13,423 |
| Research Triangle High School | 1 | 582 | $9,481 |
| Kestrel Heights School | 1 | 424 | $10,698 |
| The Institute for the Development of You | 1 | 397 | $11,264 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
14 high schools in Durham, 12,139 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C E Jordan High | 2,189 | 20.9 | 99.9% | Durham Public Schools |
| Riverside High | 1,900 | 20.3 | 99.8% | Durham Public Schools |
| Durham School of the Arts | 1,764 | 17.6 | 99.2% | Durham Public Schools |
| Hillside High | 1,433 | 17.4 | 99.8% | Durham Public Schools |
| Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi | 1,384 | 21.2 | 99.8% | Durham Public Schools |
| Northern High | 1,281 | 18.3 | 99.8% | Durham Public Schools |
| Research Triangle High School | 572 | 13.3 | not reported | Research Triangle High School |
| J D Clement Early College High School | 380 | 26.3 | 99.2% | Durham Public Schools |
| The School for Creative Studies | 350 | 10.2 | 98.9% | Durham Public Schools |
| City of Medicine Academy | 329 | 16.6 | 98.5% | Durham Public Schools |
The other 4 high schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham School of Technology | 219 | 13.5 | 98.6% | Durham Public Schools |
| Middle College HS @ DTCC | 164 | 23.4 | 98.2% | Durham Public Schools |
| Durham's Performance Learning Center | 122 | 7.3 | 90.2% | Durham Public Schools |
| Lakeview School | 52 | 2.8 | 94.2% | Durham Public Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
9 middle schools in Durham, 5,464 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwood Githens Middle | 878 | 17.1 | 99.7% | Durham Public Schools |
| George L Carrington Middle | 771 | 15.2 | 99.6% | Durham Public Schools |
| Brogden Middle | 753 | 16.9 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Neal Middle | 706 | 14.7 | 99.6% | Durham Public Schools |
| Rogers-Herr Middle | 660 | 16.6 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Lowe's Grove Middle | 564 | 19.8 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| James E Shepard Middle | 423 | 14.5 | 98.6% | Durham Public Schools |
| Lucas Middle | 400 | 16.9 | 99.3% | Durham Public Schools |
| Lakewood Montessori Middle | 309 | 15.2 | 99.0% | Durham Public Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
39 elementary schools in Durham, 17,513 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearsontown Elementary | 765 | 13.6 | 99.6% | Durham Public Schools |
| Research Triangle Charter | 710 | 21.8 | 99.6% | Research Triangle Charter Academy |
| Forest View Elementary | 662 | 13.0 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Southwest Elementary | 639 | 14.3 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Maureen Joy Charter School | 631 | 11.7 | 99.2% | Maureen Joy Charter |
| Lyons Farm Elementary | 608 | 16.0 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Sandy Ridge Elementary | 589 | 17.9 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Holt Elementary | 587 | 13.9 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Hillandale Elementary | 586 | 14.7 | 99.5% | Durham Public Schools |
| Central Park School For Child | 585 | 12.4 | 34.5% | Central Park School For Children |
The other 29 elementary schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
6 other schools in Durham, 9,708 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC Virtual Academy | 3,482 | 18.7 | not reported | North Carolina Virtual Academy |
| North Carolina Cyber Academy | 2,461 | 17.1 | not reported | North Carolina Cyber Academy |
| Voyager Academy | 1,360 | 13.4 | 20.4% | Voyager Academy |
| Excelsior Classical Academy | 1,032 | 24.8 | not reported | Excelsior Classical Academy |
| Durham Charter School | 1,010 | 13.9 | 99.0% | Durham Charter School |
| Ignite Online Academy | 363 | 13.0 | 58.1% | Durham Public Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Durham's public schools compare with North Carolina's
The median Durham school has 14.4 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the North Carolina median of 15.4. 67% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 55% across the state. Its median school enrolls 455 students (state 497).
| Durham | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 14.4 | 15.4 |
| Median school size (students) | 455 | 497 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 67% | 55% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 0% |
| Charter schools | 22% | 7.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 68 Durham schools and the 2,653 North Carolina schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Durham
- Durham Public SchoolsRuns 53 of Durham's 68 public schools and spent $15,239 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,239
- C E Jordan High, the largest high school in Durham2,189 students in 2024-25, 20.9 per teacher.2,189
- Compare Durham Public Schools with North Carolina Virtual AcademyDurham's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaNorth Carolina's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Durham addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in North Carolina
- Charlotte173 schools
- Raleigh99 schools
- Greensboro79 schools
- Fayetteville68 schools
- Winston Salem64 schools
- Wilmington44 schools
- Concord35 schools
- Asheville33 schools
Questions about schools in Durham
How many public schools are in Durham, NC?
68 public schools with an address in Durham were open in 2024-25: 14 high, 9 middle, 39 elementary, 6 other, enrolling 44,824 students. 15 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Durham?
C E Jordan High, with 2,189 students in 2024-25 (Durham Public Schools).Which districts run Durham's schools?
Durham Public Schools (53 schools), North Carolina Virtual Academy (1 school), North Carolina Cyber Academy (1 school), Voyager Academy (1 school), and 12 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25