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Why Choose Durham Public Schools
 

Providing students the level of instruction that prepares them well for the world in which they will live. We do this by ensuring that the students who enter our doors are appropriately assessed for the level of rigor and challenge that will get them where they need to be academically. DPS features academic opportunities that will meet students where they are and help them reach their fullest potential.

CTE Programs

The Career & Technical Education program in Durham Public Schools serves students in grades 6-12 by providing career exploration and development through courses like:  

  • Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

  • Architecture and Construction

  • Arts, A/V Technology and Communications

  • Business Management and Administration

  • Finance

  • Health Science

  • Hospitality and Tourism

  • Human Services

  • Information Technology

  • Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security

  • Marketing

  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

  • Transportation, Distribution and Logistics

Transportation Services

Children can’t learn if they don’t get to and from school in a safe and timely manner. That’s where the Durham Public Schools Transportation Services Department comes in. Transportation Services oversees the safe delivery of more than 18,000 students to and from school, 180 days each year.

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There are nearly 300 buses in the DPS fleet. They travel four million miles per year! The Transportation Services Department is one of the school district’s largest, with 425 employees. This includes bus drivers, mechanics, administrators and clerical staff.

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Bus routes, schedules, and stops will be provided to families through each individual student's school. Visit or call your school to get the most up-to-date information.

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Advanced Learning Labs

Durham Public Schools Department of Advanced Academics has taken NCDPI’s original labs and has restructured them so that they are housed in one location and can be easily and efficiently by content area and grade band, as well as the overarching concept.

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  • Eight content areas: ELA, Field Studies, Logic Puzzles, Math, Mindfulness, Science, Social Studies, and Research Exploration

  • Fifteen different overarching concepts: Adaptation, Balance, Conflict, Creativity, Diversity, Energy, Growth, Identity, Interactions, Interdependence, Movement, Perspective, Structure, Systems and Time

  • Six different grade bands: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 and 10-12

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Application Programs &  Magnet Schools

  • Application programs are available only to students whose legal domicile is Durham County. Some programs also have geographic areas in which students must reside to attend that school. 

  • Application programs are accessible through the DPS lottery process that opens in January of each year for the following school year. Application is available here.

  • Any seats still available after lottery applications have been exhausted can be accessed through the late lottery prcess starting in April of each year and ending June 30th for year-round and early college calendar schools and July 31st for traditional calendar schools.

  • For early college programs staff members review each applicant’s material and ranks applications based on criteria set forth by the Cooperative Innovative High School legislation, along with the Memoranda of Understanding established with the partner high education organization. 

     

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