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What's the best and worst thing about the food at The School for Creative Studies?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
350
High
DISTRICT 890 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 370126000531
The School for Creative Studies
5001 Red Mill Rd, Durham, NC 27704 · (919) 560-3535 · Durham County
GRADES 06–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL350 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 58% of North Carolina public high schools
- B-Test 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.
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 high schools
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.6:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
346 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 59 | 17% |
| Grade 7 | 46 | 13% |
| Grade 8 | 65 | 19% |
| Grade 9 | 36 | 10% |
| Grade 10 | 57 | 16% |
| Grade 11 | 40 | 11% |
| Grade 12 | 47 | 13% |
Student demographics
64%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
43.7%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
42.8%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 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
48.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% 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 The School for Creative Studies
The School for Creative Studies's state test result (48.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| The School for Creative Studies this school | 350 | 98.9% | 48.1% |
| Vance Co Early College Henderson | 236 | 98.7% | 88.4% |
| J D Clement Early College HS Durham | 380 | 99.2% | 87.7% |
| Beddingfield High Wilson | 653 | 99.5% | 35.6% |
| Penn-Griffin Schools High Point | 539 | 98.7% | 50.2% |
| North Pitt High Bethel | 854 | 99.6% | 35.0% |
Matched among North Carolina high 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 The School for Creative Studies ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Durham County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.1% | #222 of 468 | #5 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.8% | #173 of 464 | #5 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.7% | #351 of 448 | #6 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 350 | #391 of 598 | #10 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.2:1 | #5 of 473 | #1 of 12 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 63.9% | #192 of 474 | #7 of 12 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.9% | #214 of 527 | #8 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -42.1% | #3 of 277 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high 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
350
-305 (-47%) vs 2020
-55% since 1990-91, when it was 783
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
was 15.2:1
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 | 350 | 34.2 | 10.2:1 | 99% (346) |
| 2023-24 | 438 | 39.8 | 11.0:1 | 61% (268) |
| 2022-23 | 540 | 41.7 | 13.0:1 | 55% (296) |
| 2020-21 | 655 | 43 | 15.2:1 | 40% (262) |
| 2017-18 | 605 | 41.5 | 14.6:1 | 45% (275) |
| 2015-16 | 526 | 42 | 12.5:1 | 47% (246) |
| 2010-11 | 496 | 41 | 12.1:1 | 91% (453) |
| 2000-01 | 703 | 63 | 11.2:1 | 69% (483) |
| 1990-91 | 783 | 66 | 11.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for The School for Creative Studies.
Since 2017-18: students down 42% (605 to 350); teachers down 18% (41.5 to 34.2).
About The School for Creative Studies
Students in Durham, North Carolina, attend The School for Creative Studies, a low-enrollment high school. The school serves 350 students in grades 6 through 12 in 2024-25. The average among high schools in North Carolina is roughly 761 students; this school is 54% smaller than that.
Across its 55 schools, Durham Public Schools enrolls 31,797 students. The School for Creative Studies is one of those schools.
By race and ethnicity, the largest group at The School for Creative Studies is Black (49%). Other students are 32% Hispanic, 13% White, and 5% multiracial. That is higher than the 32% Black share among all Durham County residents. By the diversity index, The School for Creative Studies comes in at 64%.
The school reports 34.2 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 10.2 students per teacher. For comparison, high schools in North Carolina average 19.6:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 99% of students.
allk12 grades The School for Creative Studies a B. The grade compares the school only with North Carolina public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
On BeatsExpectations, The School for Creative Studies is within a point of its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of North Carolina schools.
According to the American Community Survey, in Durham County, median household income is about $82,316, 55% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 74 public schools operate in Durham County, serving about 46,109 students.
The closest other public school is Sandy Ridge Elementary, about 2.9 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. The School for Creative Studies's average proficiency of 48.1% compares with 44.9% for its nearest scored neighbors.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Fringe: in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment records show 655 in 2020-21 and 350 in 2024-25. Because schools sometimes add or drop grades, the two numbers may not be directly comparable. Its ratio of students to teachers was 15.2:1 in 2020-21, and 10.2:1 in 2024-25.
Parents and students can post about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs at The School for Creative Studies. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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
- Sandy Ridge Elementary2.9 mi · 589
- Little River Elementary2.9 mi · 326
- Glenn Elementary3.1 mi · 455
- Lakeview School3.9 mi · 52
- Northern High4.3 mi · 1,281
- Lucas Middle4.4 mi · 400
Frequently asked questions
About The School for Creative StudiesWhat is the total enrollment at The School for Creative Studies?
The School for Creative Studies enrolls approximately 350 students in grades 06-12.
What age range does The School for Creative Studies serve?
The School for Creative Studies serves students from grade 06 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The School for Creative Studies?
The student-to-teacher ratio at The School for Creative Studies is approximately 10.2:1 (34 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at The School for Creative Studies?
At The School for Creative Studies, the student body is approximately 13% White, 32% Hispanic, 49% Black, 5% Two or more.
Is The School for Creative Studies public or private?
The School for Creative Studies 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.