Durham to overhaul school boundaries to address disparities and boost school choice
Durham’s public school system will begin using a new model for assigning students to schools in the 2023-24 school year, in an attempt to increase equity.
On Tuesday, the district announced the new student assignment model through the Growing Together initiative.
The current student assignment system was developed in 1992, when schools within the city’s limits merged with schools in the county. A student’s base school assignment is determined by where they currently live in Durham.
The new assignment model will rezone schools into five regions: Northern, Eastern, Central, Southeast and Southwest. The regions were created based on community infrastructure like highways, median household income, the percentage of people of color and the number of school-age children in the region, according to a news release.
“We acknowledge that there are clear disparities between our schools,” Melody Marshall, director of student assignment, said in a school district video explaining the changes.
Schools in Durham Public Schools range from having 26% to 99% of students on free and reduced lunch. The district also has schools where students of color make up 48% to 99% of enrollment, she said.
And magnet schools have become “nearly impossible” for some families to get into, she added, with 14,000 applicants for 3,000 seats. This means pre-K and elementary school choice programs only have lottery acceptance rates of 3% to 44%.
“Growing Together positions our district for the continued population growth we are experiencing in Durham,” said DPS Superintendent Pascal Mubenga in a release. “Education is key to quality of life and the future of our county. We owe it to our students to provide them with equitable opportunities to reach their limitless potential.”
Students once separated from attending magnet and choice programs in the county will now have such barriers removed, officials say, while the district increases its operational efficiencies including reducing school bus ride times for children.
DPS leaders have examined and revised Student Assignment Policy 4150 for over two years. The school board adopted the policy in December 2021.
According to Mathew Palmer, executive director for school planning, the model further offers a framework by which choice programs will be placed at schools within those regions and provides guidance for developing school assignment boundaries.
“This is a new lens to look at increasing equity and access for every Durham student and reducing the amount of time they will be spending on the bus by not having to go across the county to any one program,” said Palmer.
“At this moment, no decisions have been made about individual programs or schools ... we had Policy 4150 for student assignment revised in December and boundary decisions will come later this year,” he added.
DPS will continue to work toward recommendations for the placement of choice programs within regions. The general public will have the chance to weigh in on new boundary lines at hearings to be scheduled in the coming weeks.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 2:03 PM.