The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Science. The lowest is 44% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kestrel Heights School
Kestrel Heights School is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Durham, located on South Alston Avenue. The school operates as an intentionally small community, with enrollment distributed evenly across its grade band and a student body that is majority Black, with sizable Hispanic and Asian populations and a smaller white enrollment.
State testing results for 2024-25 show proficiency rates in the range of low to mid-forties in math and English language arts, with science performing slightly higher. These results place the school below where many families might hope for, and a parent weighing enrollment should ask the school directly about trends, intervention supports, and what accounts for the current performance levels. Science testing was redesigned that year, so trend comparison is not yet reliable.
More than half the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating substantial economic diversity. The school does not report data on students with IEPs or English learners, so a parent with a child needing special services or language support should contact the school to understand what staffing and services it has in place.
Kestrel Heights completed a significant expansion in 2022, adding an elementary building with classroom, elective, and intervention space behind the existing middle school campus. The school has stated it intends to remain small rather than grow substantially, so the expansion was designed to serve additional families while maintaining that philosophy. The campus now includes both elementary and middle grades in a shared location with shared amenities and infrastructure.
A critical planning point for families: Kestrel Heights operates only through eighth grade. There is no high school option within the school, so families must plan for a transition to another high school after 8th grade, whether that is a public district high school or a private placement. The state closed Kestrel Heights' high school program in 2017 following a diploma fraud case; the K-8 charter was renewed by the State Board of Education in 2020 after the school demonstrated academic improvement, but the high school closure remains permanent. Parents should factor this transition into their long-term planning.
The school sits in Durham, a city on sustained growth with a strong urban core near Duke University and downtown, plus suburban neighborhoods spreading outward. The school's South Alston Avenue location is in a mixed-use residential and commercial corridor in the southern part of the city. Housing costs in Durham have pulled back slightly from a prior peak but remain above the state benchmark.
Durham's economy is anchored by Duke University and health systems, biotech companies tied to Research Triangle Park, and a growing startup and creative sector downtown. The city has active development, including downtown mixed-use projects, the planned Durham Rail Trail, and housing diversification. Public transit through GoDurham serves the city, with microtransit options now available in East and North Durham.
Kestrel Heights has no state-reported graduation rate because it does not serve high school. Comparing the school's proficiency to other Durham County districts was not possible with available data; the school should be evaluated against its own trajectory and mission, and parents should speak directly with the school about its goals and the support structures it offers for students working below proficiency.
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