Enrollment
423
Middle
DISTRICT 607 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 370126000441
James E Shepard Middle
2401 Dakota Street, Durham, NC 27707 · (919) 560-3938 · Durham County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL423 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of North Carolina public middle schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public middle schools
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
417 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 82%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 137 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 144 | 34% |
| Grade 8 | 142 | 34% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 70% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
48.2%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
53.7%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 54 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
52.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like James E Shepard Middle
James E Shepard Middle's state test result (52.6% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James E Shepard Middle this school | 423 | 98.6% | 52.6% |
| Charles H Darden Middle Wilson | 378 | 99.2% | 34.6% |
| Wilson STEM Academy Charlotte | 456 | 99.3% | 36.0% |
| Eastern Wayne Middle Goldsboro | 427 | 97.4% | 48.4% |
| Centennial Campus Middle Raleigh | 477 | 99.4% | 35.5% |
| Paisley Magnet School Winston Salem | 553 | 99.5% | 36.7% |
Matched among North Carolina middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where James E Shepard Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Durham County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.6% | #208 of 463 | #3 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 53.7% | #183 of 461 | #3 of 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 48.2% | #241 of 463 | #4 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 423 | #364 of 478 | #7 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.6:1 | #97 of 456 | #1 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.8% | #341 of 456 | #9 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.6% | #276 of 472 | #9 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.2% | #183 of 300 | #3 of 6 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
423
-14 (-3%) vs 2020
+3% since 2000-01, when it was 412
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
was 14.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 423 | 29.1 | 14.6:1 | 99% (417) |
| 2023-24 | 400 | 32.5 | 12.3:1 | 98% (392) |
| 2022-23 | 381 | 31.6 | 12.1:1 | 76% (288) |
| 2020-21 | 437 | 31 | 14.1:1 | 58% (254) |
| 2017-18 | 466 | 31.8 | 14.7:1 | 74% (347) |
| 2015-16 | 512 | 33 | 15.5:1 | 75% (385) |
| 2010-11 | 435 | 28 | 15.5:1 | 66% (289) |
| 2000-01 | 412 | 35 | 11.8:1 | 28% (116) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James E Shepard Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (466 to 423); teachers down 9% (31.8 to 29.1).
About James E Shepard Middle
James E Shepard Middle operates as a small middle school in Durham, North Carolina. Its enrollment is 423 students, spread over grades 6 through 8. On average, middle schools in North Carolina enroll around 605, and this school is 30% below that mark.
Durham Public Schools enrolls 31,797 students, and its 55 schools include James E Shepard Middle.
More than half of enrollment at James E Shepard Middle is Black: 62%. Other groups include 31% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 2% White. The county population is about 32% Black. The diversity index for James E Shepard Middle is 52%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
There are 29.1 full-time-equivalent teachers at James E Shepard Middle, giving a ratio of 14.6:1. Middle schools in North Carolina average 15.9:1, 1.3 more students per teacher than here. A total of 417 students, or 99%, are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
James E Shepard Middle earns a B on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 59% of North Carolina public middle schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for James E Shepard Middle is 48.7%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 52.6%.
The county, Durham County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $82,316, about 55% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. The county's public schools total 74, with about 46,109 students.
The closest school to James E Shepard Middle is Fayetteville Street Elementary, located about 0.3 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. James E Shepard Middle ranks 4th of 9 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 52.6% against a local average of 52.5%.
Locale data from NCES put James E Shepard Middle inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more (City: Large).
The school shrank from 437 students in 2020-21 to 423 in 2024-25.
Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at James E Shepard Middle. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Durham County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
332,353
Census ACS
Median income
$82,316
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
55%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
74
46,109 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Durham Public Schools
- C E Jordan HighHigh · 2,189 students
- Riverside HighHigh · 1,900 students
- Durham School of the ArtsHigh · 1,764 students
- Hillside HighHigh · 1,433 students
- Southern School of Energy and SustainabiHigh · 1,384 students
- Northern HighHigh · 1,281 students
Other schools in Durham
- NC Virtual AcademyCombined · 3,482 students
- North Carolina Cyber AcademyCombined · 2,461 students
- C E Jordan HighHigh · 2,189 students
- Riverside HighHigh · 1,900 students
- Durham School of the ArtsHigh · 1,764 students
- Hillside HighHigh · 1,433 students
Nearby schools
- Fayetteville Street Elementary0.3 mi · 261
- J D Clement Early College HS0.7 mi · 380
- W G Pearson Elementary0.7 mi · 319
- Hillside High0.9 mi · 1,433
- Durham School of Technology0.9 mi · 219
- C C Spaulding Elementary1.0 mi · 247
Frequently asked questions
About James E Shepard MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at James E Shepard Middle?
James E Shepard Middle enrolls approximately 423 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does James E Shepard Middle serve?
James E Shepard Middle serves grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at James E Shepard Middle?
Approximately 14.6:1 students per teacher at James E Shepard Middle.
What is the racial breakdown of students at James E Shepard Middle?
At James E Shepard Middle, the student body is approximately 2% White, 31% Hispanic, 62% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is James E Shepard Middle public or private?
James E Shepard Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Durham Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.