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Learning
Without Limits.
Innovating
For Excellence.
Embracing
Diversity,
Inspiring
Empathy.
Hero
Prepared
For Life.
Ready to start a life-changing journey? Let’s begin!
See Yourself at DA
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Inspiring Moral, Happy, Productive Students since 1933
Distinctly
Durham Academy
- A community committed to inclusion.
- Future-focused skills for relevant, real-world problems.
- Creative students motivated by joy, curiosity, challenge and choice.
- Innovative educators who inspire a lifelong love of learning.
- Inventive learning environments that fuel creativity and collaboration.
- A school invested in creating a more sustainable future.
A community committed to inclusion.
Future-focused skills for relevant, real-world problems.
Creative students motivated by joy, curiosity, challenge and choice.
Innovative educators who inspire a lifelong love of learning.
Inventive learning environments that fuel creativity and collaboration.
A school invested in creating a more sustainable future.
The DA Story
In January 2024, the Durham Academy Board of Trustees unanimously approved an annual three-week study leave for Head of School Michael Ulku-Steiner. The board hoped the yearly reprieve from the breakneck pace of day-to-day school operations would allow Ulku-Steiner to “read and reflect more deeply, connect with his family more meaningfully, and gain insights and perspective on the future of independent education.” It’s clear — upon the completion of his second such study leave earlier this spring — that Ulku-Steiner understood the assignment.
By the Numbers
1933
1,252
Students enrolled in grades Pre-k through 12
49%
Percentage of students who self-identify as people of color
$4.8M
Total tuition assistance awarded to families in 2024–2025
69%
Percentage of teaching faculty who hold advanced degrees
57
DA graduates currently playing their sport in college
44
Varsity conference championships in the last 5 years
12
Consecutive top-20 finishes at the National Speech & Debate Tournament (2013–2024), the longest active win streak in the nation
4
Divisions: Preschool, Lower School, Middle School & Upper School
3
State-of-the-art engineering, robotics and fabrication labs
3
Performing arts venues for student productions and special events
43
Total number of interscholastic athletics teams for 2024–2025