2023 Most Diverse Public Middle Schools in Durham County

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.92 out of 5  258 reviews

Senior: Durham School of the Arts is a school that encourages creative endeavors. I have taken a 3D art class, and two separate music classes during my time there. Many of the DSA staff are very friendly, and they help me out when I need help. I would appreciate cleaner bathrooms that are better maintained, along with more experienced substitute teachers and counselors.... Read 258 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• Students 1,869

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Alum: I studied in Sherwood Githens Middle school during 6th grade. The community is welcoming, filled with professionals and exciting activities. The educational institution shared an individual approach with every single student, as each student received direct help from the teacher when it came to tackling issues, such as low grades, new challenging projects or fights, clashes between students. In addition, the school was strict, as any wrong action or misbehaviour could have led to detention. Having had come from Armenia, I was able to meet new friends, get accustomed to an ecosystem of the revolutionized school curriculum and was involved in a variety of projects. I surely recommend the school to every student, as a great start to their middle school journey. In all honesty, no flaws come to my mind when thinking of the school. My only recommendation to the school is to change the sport involvement policy, by organising such events more often and recruiting more students.... Read 3 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade A+

• Students 934

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Students 301

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• grade B minus

• grade A

• Students 483

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.29 out of 5  7 reviews

Middle School Student: Absolutely amazing love this school! The food is amazing and do is the diversity! I believe every child should go here... Read 7 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A

• Students 679

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• grade C+

• grade A

• Students 904

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 1 out of 5  1 review

• grade B

• grade A

• Students 472

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• grade C

• grade A

• Students 628

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.84 out of 5  37 reviews

Junior: I like being here. The year-round schedule and variety of electives in the Arts due to no sports helped me find my place in life. The staff genuinely believes in the students' potential and wants them to do their best academically and emotionally. Other than that, there are a few little kinks that come with the experience: a recent influx of misbehaving teenagers, a somewhat inconsistent IT and Club schedule, as well as the school being in DESPERATE need of a bigger budget to fix up the physical building. But besides those things, SCS is a small gem of a middle + high school that helped me discover my career and improve my academics and social life as well. Hope more people apply, because soon this school will become just a middle school unless things change. So be the change and apply now!... Read 37 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade A

• Students 655

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 4.2 out of 5  5 reviews

Parent: I have two children at CPSC and love the project based curricula, intentional work on inclusion and diversity, and the caring faculty and staff. Like all schools, there is always work to be done, and compared to the parochial school my children used to attend, Central Park is more focused on children, inclusion, broader learning beyond academics, and the surrounding community. The teachers care and are top notch, and all feedback is heard and promptly responded to, with a plan to address. Librarians send home books with students to keep over inter sessions, teachers create relevant and timely curricula and adapt it to the students, and students are encouraged to be responsible and design their learning.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Students 621

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3.33 out of 5  82 reviews

Parent: Kestrel is a wonderful, smaller charter school. My daughter is in 2nd grade and my son will be entering Kindergarten in the fall. We have been very pleased with the school overall. The teachers are great - compassionate, kind yet firm. The administration is ALWAYS just a call or email away and regularly includes parents in decisions about the school. I have been very impressed with the level of communication during Covid times and am so very thankful my child is attending Kestrel and not one of the DPS or Wake Co. schools. Those folks always seem very confused about what's going on, and there is never any confusion on my end. I would absolutely recommend this school to anyone looking for a collaborative, effective and fun learning experience for their child.... Read 82 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade A

• Students 423

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-10

• •
  Rating 4.8 out of 5  10 reviews

Parent: Wonderful school with a great curriculum. We have been here from the beginning, and we have had a great experience. It feels like family here. Our students are thriving. They have more than just reading and math: our kids have studied science, social studies, art, music, and other special classes, and Spanish in K-5, and our oldest is now taking Latin in middle school. Excellent education! Great teachers! We love the fact that they provide busing, too!... Read 10 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Students 926

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• 6-8

• grade unavailable

• grade A

• Students 188

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 1 out of 5  1 review

• grade C

• grade A

• Students 831

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• grade C

• grade A minus

• Students 679

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• 4-8

• •
  Rating 2.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: I say this because i was in the school and it was amazing and amazing kids. But the lunch is really bad I don't like it and every was upset and it was not good. But every thing else is good.... Read 2 reviews

• grade C minus

• grade A minus

• Students 384

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

• grade C+

• grade A minus

• Students 496

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Durham Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Junior: My experience at James E. Shepard was interesting. I say this because I've had positive and negative times. I was bullied in 6th and 7th grade. One thing that I would change about this Middle School is that I would develop new clubs and organizations to get the students involved in so that if the students feel alone, they would always have a group or club to go to to feel welcomed. Also, I would better prepare students for high school and to warn them of the temptations and strong influences that comes with being a incoming freshman. Shepard also taught me the key concept of individuality. It taught me that even though other may try to fit in, always think of yourself as being the outcast because being the outcast allows you to make decisions best for you and not who others expect or want you to be.... Read 2 reviews

• grade C

• grade A minus

• Students 437

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade C minus

• grade A minus

• Students 394

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3.37 out of 5  27 reviews

Junior: I like how this school cares about a student's financial situation. This is a technology-based school where a computer is needed to function; yet if a student comes from a disadvantaged background this could be a problem. The administration actually made up a policy. They would lend the computer; if the student still uses the same computer by the end of their sophomore year they are allowed to keep. During that time, they can take it home. They also ask if the student can afford wifi at home and all. I was offered this because of my mother's paycheck. We also have to take our own lunch; so the same thing is offered to those students, they provide lunch to those who can't; I took that opportunity my freshman year. They also do fundraisers to give families food for holidays; I find that to be a very touching gesture. I love how friendly the teachers are and how engaged they are with their students. I also find it nice how they provide us with free ap exams; ap exams are expensive.... Read 27 reviews

• grade C+

• grade A minus

• Students 756

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade C

• grade A minus

• Students 206

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.61 out of 5  156 reviews

Alum: I attended Voyager Academy for four years of high school and I grew to love the school as time went on. There are teachers who care deeply about the students and push them to their fullest potential in all aspects. The experience gets better as you become more involved in the school and attend events. My favorite part about attending Voyager was the hours and the project based learning. On the other hand, Voyager could work more on its diversity as there have been times I was the only minority in the classroom and felt as an outsider. Just recently in my last year have they accepted more minorities into their school which I believe has actually helped to improve the culture of the school. Overall, I would rate the school a four out of five, as the administration and teachers genuinely care about and are able to form relationships with the students and I have no regrets attending the school.... Read 156 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A minus

• Students 1,345

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 2 out of 5  1 review

• grade B

• grade B+

• Students 645

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade C minus

• grade B+

• Students 349

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Durham, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade C minus

• grade B minus

• Students 213

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1