Kestrel Heights School, 4700 S. Alston Ave.: kindergarten to grade 8, 414 students in 2024-25 and a D (53) state grade.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 assessment data and report card data and the federal NCES school directory.

Kestrel Heights School is a tuition-free public charter school for kindergarten to grade 8 at 4700 S. Alston Ave. in Durham. It is not run by Durham Public Schools: charter schools have their own boards and no attendance zones, and any North Carolina child can apply.

Who to call

  • Front office: 919-484-1300, 4700 S. Alston Ave.
  • School website: kestrelheights.org
  • Applying: the school itself, not the district; see How admission works below
  • Zoned district schools for an address: the DPS school locator
Address 4700 S. Alston Ave., Durham, NC 27713
Phone 919-484-1300
Grades K to 8
Run by Its own nonprofit board (public charter school)
Calendar Traditional
State school code 32D000

School leaders

Interim Principal Sherria Grubbs; Tonya Jackson is executive director, according to the school’s staff directory.

Enrollment and teachers

  • State count: an average daily membership of 414 students in the 2024-25 school year, down from 439 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
  • Federal count: 440 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 30 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.

School year Grade (score) Growth
2024-25 D (53) Met
2023-24 C (58) Met

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: 49.7% (state: 59.2%)
  • College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 29.3% (state: 37.5%)
  • Reading, grades 3 to 8, at grade level: 49.2% (state: 55.7%)
  • Math, grades 3 to 8, at grade level: 46% (state: 59.6%)
  • Growth: met expected growth

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

How admission works

The application deadline for the new-year lottery is Jan. 31, and the lottery for new students is Friday, Feb. 5, 2027, according to the school’s admissions page. Siblings of current students get preference, and children of full-time employees and board members have priority up to 15% of enrollment, its lottery preferences page says. Seats that open during the year go to the waitlist in the order applications arrived.

Charter schools are free and open to any North Carolina child. North Carolina law requires a charter school to hold a lottery when more students apply than it has room for. Charter schools do not have to provide buses or meals the way the district does, so ask the school what it offers. Our Durham public schools guide lists the district schools for each part of the city.

Calendar and bell times

Charter schools set their own calendars. The school’s own website posts its calendar; the state lists Kestrel Heights School’s calendar as traditional.

More

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Kestrel Heights School serve?

Kestrel Heights School serves kindergarten to grade 8, according to the school.

What is Kestrel Heights School’s school grade?

Kestrel Heights School earned a D, with a score of 53, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 49.7% of its state tests were at grade level or above.

How do you get into Kestrel Heights School?

It is a public charter school with no attendance zone. The application deadline for the new-year lottery is Jan.