Durham Public Schools
Durham Public Schools is a public school district based in Durham, North Carolina, serving 31,865 students in 57 schools. By enrollment it ranks #9 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 93% of them. Its schools average 559 students each, more than the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr Anthony Lewis. It spends about $12,723 per student on day-to-day operations, 14% more than the North Carolina median. It has roughly 15.0 students per teacher.
How Durham compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Durham | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,723 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,294 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $447.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $455.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 2,125 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 15.0 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 309 | 358 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The North Carolina median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr Anthony Lewis
Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, EDDIE, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in North Carolina
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston County Public SchoolsSmithfield | 37,320 | 48 | $9,681 | 17.0 | #7 |
| Cabarrus County SchoolsConcord | 35,772 | 43 | $9,927 | 16.5 | #8 |
| Durham Public SchoolsDurham · this district | 31,865 | 57 | $12,723 | 15.0 | #9 |
| Gaston County SchoolsGastonia | 30,995 | 56 | $10,074 | 15.9 | #10 |
| Onslow County SchoolsJacksonville | 27,551 | 39 | $10,233 | 15.7 | #11 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okaloosa CountyFort Walton Beach, FL | 32,047 | $9,864 | 19.0 |
| Keller ISDKeller, TX | 32,042 | $10,532 | 15.2 |
| Baldwin CountyBay Minette, AL | 31,965 | $11,638 | 15.6 |
| Stafford County Public SchoolsStafford, VA | 31,812 | $11,793 | 13.6 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nc-durham-public-schools