Durham is home to a wide variety of high schools.
The county seat of Durham County, Durham is a city in the northern half of North Carolina. As of 2008, its estimated population was 223,000, making it the 85th-largest city in the United States. Durham has a strong educational tradition with Duke University and North Carolina Central University calling the city home. For parents looking to set their child on the right educational path, Durham also has a wide variety of public high schools to suit any child's educational needs.
Hillside High School
Hillside High School is on Fayetteville Road in Durham. It is the oldest of North Carolina's historically black high schools, having been founded in 1887. The school offers the International Baccalaureate and Advancement Via Individual Determination programs to its most gifted students. Hillside has after-school clubs offering Model United Nations, a cosmetology club and a robotics society. Hillside had fewer incidents of crime than four of Durham's other traditional high schools, according to a 2008 state report. As of February 2011 the school had an enrollment of 1,517 students, with 140 faculty members.
Charles E. Jordan High School
Charles E. Jordan High School was founded in 1963 and is positioned in southwest Durham. A 2007 survey from "Newsweek" magazine found it to be the 294th-best high school in the United States. Charles E. Jordan's building has three floors and a media center, two gyms, a cafeteria and a band practice room. The school's soccer team was ranked second in the nation in 2010. As of the 2010-2011 academic year, the school had an enrollment of 1,829 students. Lessons start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. Lunch period lasts between 35 and 40 minutes.
Durham School of the Arts
Situated on Duke Street, the Durham School of the Arts educates students from Grades 6-12 and is one of nine magnet schools in the Durham Public Schools system. Durham School of the Arts is the only school in Durham that does not teach students on a block schedule, instead teaching its students through seven yearlong classes. The school has its own theater building, two-story science academy, gymnasium and a memorial garden for several deceased students. As of the 2010-2011 academic year the school had 1,381 students. Entry to the school is through a lottery system. In 2007, Durham School of the Arts was declared a national School of Excellence.
Riverside High School
Riverside High School is on Rose of Sharon Road in Durham. The school was founded in 1991 and teaches students from Grades 9-12. The school teaches classes on a block-schedule semester basis, with students taking two core classes and two elective classes each semester. Riverside has its own student newspaper, "The Hook," and its mascot is a pirate. Riverside High School is the only Durham school to be involved with the "Project Lead This Way" initiative, which seeks to inspire children from different backgrounds to pursue a career in engineering. As of the 2010-2011 academic year, the school had 1,935 students.
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