Durham School of the Arts tops 'best high schools' list

Durham School of the Arts and Carrboro High School ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among hundreds of schools evaluated for the list.

“This is very much a reflection of the quality and dedication of our teachers and our school staff as a whole,” Durham School of the Arts principal David Hawks said in a statement. “It represents the hard work and focus on academic and artistic excellence of our students. It represents the support of our parents for their children and for our school as well. It also represents the support of our community partners including Duke University, Durham Performing Arts Center and the Reality Center.”

Middle Creek High in Apex ranked seventh on the list, while Cary High School came in at No. 9.

One school in Fayetteville made the list: Terry Sanford High on Fort Bragg Road earned the No. 21.

The media outlet teamed up with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research to come up with the rankings of more than 21,000 public high schools nationwide. The schools were measured on performance indicators that show they are successfully educating their students.