Durham Elementary School

4803 Brinkman Street

School District

Houston Independent
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Houston Independent School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 11, 2016

My oldest attended Durham for five years, he is a great thinker! The staff and teachers are caring and committed to providing a great education. PTA is well organized and provides great opportunities for fun family events. I am eager to have my youngest son start school in Aug 2016; because I've seen first hand the high quality of education my older son has been equipped with.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2015

If you're looking to Great Schools for information about Durham, you probably don't know much about the school beyond what you see here and the Children at Risk rankings. I urge you to look beyond and realize that there is #more2thestory. Durham truly is a great school. Go search for the website of our local paper, The Leader. Search there for "sugarek," our principal. Read her response to the results. Look in the Houston Chronicle for an article about the school that I was just interviewed for today. I am a zoned parent. I ADORE this school. My child is thriving. The rankings reflect the previous years of turmoil--4 principals in 4 years. The school had no support, no direction, UNTIL NOW, and that direction is UP!
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2014

My son started pre-k at Durham this fall. I was very hesitant to make the switch from a very small, private preschool, but he is having an amazing year. His teacher is nothing short of a phenom, Academically, his growth has been insane; he went from knowing his capital letters to trying write in about six weeks. He says phalanges and arachnid and knows the difference between Asian and African elephants. And math has been a huge surprise. He is counting, adding, grouping, and putting numbers together in ways I thought wouldn't happen for a few years. Also, the faculty and staff are incredibly welcoming. They teach, yes, but they also recognize that sometimes you have parades and make cupcakes and stomp around on bear hunts. The other families are great too. Durham rocks. No doubt about it.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2014

We chose Durham over a spot at another IB school (currently ranked 9 on Great Schools vs. Durham's 3). The school feels like a community from the principal, who is incredibly approachable and involved, to the teachers to the parents. I'm extremely pleased with the academic progress my child has made and, even more importantly, the love she now has for school. Every day I ask her "What was the best thing that happened at school today?" and she can never choose just one thing because she adores her teacher, is learning a ton, and has so much fun in ancillaries learning as well. As someone who has been involved in education reform for the past 12 years, I can be very picky about my child's education. Durham is our #1 choice school.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2014

We are going on our 4th year at Durham. What an amazing school with great teachers and administrators. The school is now one of 5 World IB schools in the district. This is huge! ... Other schools in our area get the attention, but Durham is a best kept secret in the neighborhood! The current principal has big plans for the campus and the PTA does some wonderful things that benifit the school and kids. Don't wait around to get your name on the list to go here....just do it!
Submitted by teacher on April 30, 2014

Durham is full of caring, smart, and educated teachers. I am at teacher myself there, and see great work being done. I see teaching and learning taking place that is very similar/compatible to "top ranked" Houston elementary schools I have visited. If our ranking is lower because we service lower income students and ones that have a high mobility rate, that should not be counted against us. Look at the GROWTH in the students. It's high. The relationship/mentorship some of these teachers have with these students is humbling. And with being a new IB World School and having a supportive admin team, there are some great programs/plans for our future.
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2014

Durham is a small town school in a big city. It is a rare gem with administrators who care!
Submitted by other on April 18, 2014

My school is a great neighborhood and community resource, filled with caring teachers, dedicated staff, willing students, and involved parents. It is constantly improving under the guidance of a new principal and has just become an International Baccalaureate Program school.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2014

I am very proud of our little neighborhood school and am happy to send my child there. Our newly authorized IB program (which has been in practice for over three years) is making this school more in demand than ever before. After several years of turmoil we have finally found a principal that is a great fit and who is 100% committed to our school. This current "3" rating is not reflective of it AT ALL.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2014

This is a neighborhood school that is only getting better and better. Though it has had problems with principal turnover, the current principal has a vision for Durham's future and the necessary forethought to get the school there. I will also add that the school won IB World School status this year, after years of planning and hard work by teachers and the IB Coordinator. This ensures that the school is on the right track - teaching best practices, helping students learn about the larger world across the curriculum, encouraging creativity and flexibility. New technology has also been entering the school and the children are doing fun and imaginitive work on the computer. With a fantastic full time art teacher next year, mandarin classes, and a fantastic PE teacher, I feel like they pay attention to my daughter, not just as a student and funding source, but as a kid they like and want to encourage in all aspects of academics, creativity, social actions, and health. We've been a happy family in our neighborhood school.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2014

As a parent of a third grader switching from another school, I am very grateful for the quick and positive assistance in the transition for my son. It has been a challenging year but grateful to the administrator, magnate coordinator, teachers, school nurse, diagnostician and the administrative assistants that have made me feel welcomed and assured that my son will receive an education and reach his potential.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2014

We have been at Durham Elementary for 6 years now. I have a 5th grader and a 1st grader. I have been more than pleased with every single teacher that both of my girls have had. Not only their primary teacher but all of the staff at Durham as well. I am a very "picky" mom and one that usually can find something to complain about. I can honestly say Durham has kept me quiet all of these years. The safety of our children and the content of the curriculam taught surpasses my expectations. I too was surprised when I saw the grade 3, I just knew there must have not been many reviews to go by. Again, I will emphasize that Durham is the best choice I have made for my kids so far. Hopefully I am as lucky with the Middle School I choose for my soon to be 6th grader.
Submitted by other on April 17, 2014

Durham is up and coming in large part because of the new, exciting principal. She is involved with the community and encourages all to volunteer.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2014

Durham rocks! It just does. When I go to take my kiddo up there, I'm met with smiling faces and hello's galore. My daughter has blossomed under her teachers. She comes home and has all kinds of ideas about the world. She has grown so much in just her first 2 years of schooling; I am anxious to see just where she goes with more of the IB programming. The staff is truly amazing and their hard work shows. I'm ecstatic to have Principal Sugarek as our newest leader. Her passion is highly contagious, and you can just see how it's affecting the rest of the school.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2014

I love Durham elementary! It has a very friendly staff and awesome teachers. Mrs. Suddoth is doing a terrific job with the kids! She has a very challenging class. Mrs. Walker the librarian is always willing to help students she rocks!