Bethesda Elementary

Bethesda Elementary is one of the mid-tier elementary-level communitys in Durham, North Carolina, part of Durham Public Schools, with 442 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5.

Within Durham Public Schools, which oversees 55 schools and 31,797 students, Bethesda Elementary is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Bethesda Elementary reports that the most-represented group is Black (47%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 39% Hispanic, 7% White, 6% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 32% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.9:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.9:1, putting Bethesda Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 99% of students at Bethesda Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

After controlling for student poverty, Bethesda Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 48.5%, the actual is 42.1%, a residual of -6.4 points.

Around the school, Durham County reports that the typical household earns roughly $82,316 per year, roughly 55% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Durham County runs 74 public schools (combined enrollment of about 46,109 students), of which Bethesda Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Research Triangle Charter, roughly 0.8 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Bethesda Elementary at 5th of 5; the average score across the group is 51.1%.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 32%: 648 students in 2018 compared to 442 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share decreased from 54% to 47%.

On this page, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.