Hillside High, Durham: zone, report card and calendar

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Durham Public Schools’ Growing Together school site, 2026-27 zone and region map, calendars and bell schedule, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 assessment data and report card data, the federal NCES school directory and the NCHSAA’s 2025-29 realignment.

Hillside High is a Durham Public Schools high school for grades 9 to 12 at 3727 Fayetteville St. It is the zoned high school for its own attendance area in the district’s Southeast region. It also has an International Baccalaureate program, and the district lists it as the International Baccalaureate choice for families in every region, according to the district’s 2026-27 zone and region map.

Who to call

• Front office: 919-560-3925, 3727 Fayetteville St.
• School website: www.dpsnc.net/o/hillside
• Enrolling a new student: DPS Office of Student Assignment, 919-560-2059; enrollment page
• Which school is my address zoned for? the district’s school locator or the city-county Durham Public School Locator
• Buses: DPS Transportation; district main line 919-560-2000

Principal

Principal Rashard Lee-Worthy. The Board of Education appointed him for 2026-27, according to a district announcement; he is a Hillside graduate and was an assistant principal there from 2016 to 2024. The school’s website does not name the principal on its main pages.

Enrollment and teachers

• State count: an average daily membership of 1,366 students in the 2024-25 school year, down from 1,403 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
• Federal count: 1,454 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 95 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 15 students per teacher.

State report card

North Carolina gives every public school an A to F School Performance Grade, based 80% on achievement on state tests and other measures and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report.

The 2024-25 grade is the latest in the state’s downloadable report card data.

From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment data:

• At grade level or above, all state tests: 41.2% (state: 59.2%)
• College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 21.5% (state: 37.5%)
• ACT composite of 17 or higher, 11th graders: 38.1% (state: 54.5%)
• Four-year graduation rate: 74.5% (state: 89%)
• Growth: met expected growth

The full report card, with attendance, teacher and course data, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Every Durham Public Schools address is assigned a base elementary, middle and high school, and the zones do not follow the city limits. Check an address in the district’s school locator or the city-county Durham Public School Locator; the zones themselves are on the district’s 2026-27 map service.

The middle school that lists Hillside High as its next step on the district’s Growing Together site is James E. Shepard Middle, and the elementary schools that feed into it are Burton Elementary, Fayetteville Street Elementary, Lyons Farm Elementary, Parkwood Elementary, Pearsontown Elementary and R.N. Harris Elementary.

Families outside the zone can apply for the school’s choice program through the district’s magnet lottery. For 2026-27 the window ran Jan. 5 to 5 p.m. Jan. 30; the lottery page explains the process, and the district’s school choices page lists the programs.

We found no approved rezoning for this school: the district’s 2027-28 zone map, last updated in September, matches the 2026-27 zones.

DPS holds its Showcase of Schools, with every school represented, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Northern High School, 4622 N. Roxboro Road, according to the district.

Calendar and bell times

Hillside High follows the district’s traditional calendar. Coming dates from the 2026-27 district calendars:

• Monday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 3: teacher workdays, no school for students
• Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
• Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
• Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
• Monday, Jan. 18, and Tuesday, Jan. 19: MLK Day holiday, then a teacher workday
• March 22-26: spring break
• Wednesday, June 9: last day of school, an early release day

Bell times: 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., according to the district’s bell schedule.

Sports and activities

Hillside is a 7A school in the NCHSAA’s 6A/7A Conference E for the 2025-29 alignment, with Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill, Northern Durham, Riverside and Southern Durham, according to the approved realignment.

The Hornets’ teams and schedules are on the school’s athletics website.

Fall schedules and results are in our Friday night football guide and on our scoreboard.

More

• The school’s own website
• The district’s Growing Together page for Hillside High
• Every public school in Durham, with zones and report cards
• Our Durham schools guide for district calendars, enrollment and the school board

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Hillside High serve?

Hillside High serves grades 9 to 12, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

What is Hillside High’s school grade?

Hillside High earned a D, with a score of 53, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 41.2% of its state tests were at grade level or above.

How do I know if my address is zoned for Hillside High?

Enter the address in the district’s school locator on its Growing Together site, or call the DPS Office of Student Assignment at 919-560-2059.

What time does Hillside High start?

The school day runs 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., according to the district’s bell schedule.

What conference is Hillside High in?

Hillside is a 7A school in the NCHSAA’s 6A/7A Conference E for the 2025-29 alignment, with Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill, Northern Durham, Riverside and Southern Durham.