Kestrel Heights School

Kestrel Heights School is one of the medium-sized K-5 schools in Durham, North Carolina, run under Kestrel Heights School, with 421 students on its rolls from grades K through 8.

Kestrel Heights School is a school of Kestrel Heights School, the district that handles curriculum, staffing, and budget for the campus.

On the student-mix side, Kestrel Heights School lists that 58% of the student body identifies as Black. Other groups include 20% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 7% White, 7% Asian. That is visibly more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 32%.

In terms of school funding signals, Kestrel Heights School logs 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.4:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 56% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Durham County runs at roughly 95%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Durham County indicate median household income runs about $82,316, roughly 55% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Kestrel Heights School is one of 74 public schools in Durham County (combined enrollment of about 46,109 students).

The closest other public school is Lowe's Grove Middle, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Kestrel Heights School operates from a downtown location. Kestrel Heights School is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 26%: 568 students in 2018 compared to 421 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 22% to 7% across the same window. Class-load math has grew: from 13.4:1 in 2018 to 14.4:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Kestrel Heights School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.