Each year, about 300 students spend a full school day at Duke, visiting labs, meeting faculty, and touring the campus (including the residence halls) while accompanied by Duke staff and students, and Durham school counselors.
School Days 2025
School Days Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
School Days was created in 2000 by David Stein to encourage eighth-graders enrolled in public schools to attend college after high school. This event is open to all 8th graders with a special focus on those who would be the first in their families to attend college.
Duke officials announced in 2023 that the university would provide free tuition to undergraduate students from North Carolina and South Carolina whose family incomes are $150,000 or less.
“With the school’s new financial aid policy, the kids can now actually come to Duke,” said Brandi Melvin-Scammell, an assistant to the director of undergraduate studies with the Duke University Music Department, who regularly volunteers with the School Days program.
The eighth graders were guided by Duke and North Carolina Central University student volunteers who took them to a smorgasbord of locations on West Campus.
Program Details
This annual event invites Durham Public School 8th graders onto Duke's campus for a day of activities designed to introduce them to the college experience. Organized by Duke Community Affairs as part of its Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, the event is aimed at students who would be the first in their families to attend college.
The eighth graders are divided into groups of ten, each with an individual itinerary that was facilitated by two Duke faculty or staff members and at least two Duke students. The bulk of the day involved visits to residence halls where the middle schoolers met with Duke students, and labs and classrooms where faculty and graduate students shared what they found exciting about their research.
2025 School Days brought some first-of-a-kind experiences, including: 25 drones for students to program, a programmable robot to pull raffle tickets, and collectible t-shirts with luminescent ink. By popular demand, we also brought back some fan-favorite activities: obstacle course with “beer goggles”, a college-bound challenge: tossing graduation caps into hoops for their dream schools, and a decision-juggling game to reflect real sophomore-year choices.
Volunteers
School Days requires the assistance of nearly a hundred Duke volunteers. Duke volunteers are the people on the “inside,” and their energy and stories are what make School Days such a success. Students tour campus with Duke student and staff guides, who show them the sights and share their own perspectives on how and why to aim for college.
Thanks to our volunteers, participants get a chance to meet with professors and learn about their research, visit libraries and dorms, eat in the dining hall, and hear from Duke student-athletes and Admissions representatives.
Resources
The Duke Chronicle, Duke University's student newspaper, covers 2019 School Days. Read more here!
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The usual midday quiet of Duke University Chapel was broken on Friday by the hushed chatter of young voices. Read more here!
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“This may have been our best School Days ever,” said David Stein, School Days director. Read more here!
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