Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Durham Public Schools

This page covers 30 elementary schools in Durham Public Schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

30
Schools Ranked
North Carolina
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 30
1
rank
Morehead Montessori
Grades PK–05227 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.9:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
64
/100
Student:Teacher
11.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
36%
Low economic need
2
rank
Creekside Elementary
Grades KG–05543 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.1:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
12.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
50%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
E K Powe Elementary
Grades PK–05383 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.0:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
12.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
47%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Forest View Elementary
Grades KG–05640 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.4:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
60
/100
Student:Teacher
12.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
55%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Hope Valley Elementary
Grades KG–05627 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.4:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
12.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
63%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Hillandale Elementary
Grades PK–05537 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
67%
Near nat'l 52.2%
7
rank
C C Spaulding Elementary
Grades PK–05230 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (9.8:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
9.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
8
rank
Lakewood Elementary
Grades PK–05385 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (10.8:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
10.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
9
rank
Little River K-8 School
Grades PK–08374 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (9.5:1) · above-average investment ($17,524/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
9.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
48%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Pearsontown Elementary
Grades PK–05726 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,524/student)
54
/100
Student:Teacher
15.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
45/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,524
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
27%
Low economic need
20 more elementary schools in Durham Public Schools not shown here.
View all schools in Durham Public Schools
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
30
Elementary Schools
55
Total Schools
64
#1 Score
52
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
Morehead Montessori
Score: 64/100
Other School Levels
Compare Durham Public Schools with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.