The Next Chapter

Since its inception in 1980, NCSSM has served as one of the top residential secondary schools in the world. However, our Durham campus facilities show the wear-and-tear of being decades (some even more than a century) old, as the campus includes the repurposed former buildings of Watts Hospital, which operated from 1909-1976.

NCSSM has identified more than $50 million in basic repairs and renovations needed on the Durham campus to uphold our educational mission and reputation as a top secondary school worldwide. Facility upgrades are a strategic priority for the school, with some $20 million in renovations to residence halls and construction of a new academic commons building extension topping the list.

These long-needed capital improvement projects have begun now because of appropriations by the North Carolina General Assembly and because of private contributions made through the NCSSM Foundation’s ongoing $50 million Ignite + Transform comprehensive fundraising campaign, including a lead gift of $7.5 million from an anonymous alum. We are working to secure some $30 million in additional funding from the state and private donors over the next few years to allow us to complete all planned renovations.

Follow this site to learn about the improvements we can look forward to, the status of all of these projects, and to know how we may need to modify activities in the short term to make them possible.