Research Triangle High School, commonly abbreviated RTHS, is a charter school with a STEM focus located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The school opened in August 2012 with an initial class of 160 freshmen, and now enrolls approximately 550 students in grades 9–12.
Curriculum
Research Triangle High School uses a personalized learning method. Students follow a mastery model for content learning and spend much of their time applying this knowledge in projects. This model is designed to develop the cognitive skills necessary to develop students into strong, self-directed learners who can not only get into college, but succeed in them as well. The curriculum is aligned with the Common Core State Standards Initiative and the North Carolina Essential Standards. All teachers at the school implement the Flipped Classroom method of recording lectures to be viewed by students outside of class, allowing for more hands-on instruction during class time. Students at RTHS learn to critically analyze sources and also share their research with others. RTHS offers Advanced Placement courses in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Environmental Science, European History, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Statistics, United States History, World History, and Psychology, as well as a college-level U.S. Government and Politics course.
Athletics
RTHS' athletics programs are known as the Raptors, and they compete in the 1A classification of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. RTHS began play in the North Central Athletic Conference, a 1A conference comprising only Triangle-area charter schools, in the fall of 2014. RTHS has been a member of the !A Central Tar Heel Conference since the fall of 2017. RTHS fields teams in boys' and girls' cross country, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' track and field, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' and girls' golf, and girls' volleyball. With no athletic facilities on campus, RTHS partners with local organizations for practice and event space. The most successful athletic program in the school's early history was the boys' cross country team, which won back-to-back 1A Mideast Regional championships en route to state runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014, followed by another state runner-up finish in 2015. The boys' track team placed 3rd in the 1A state track meet in 2015, with the 4 × 800 m relay team winning RTHS's first-ever state title in any sport. The boys' and girls' track and field teams both won the NCAC conference championship in 2016. The RTHS boys' tennis team captured the first team state title in school history in 2019; in the 2018–19 school year, RTHS placed 9th in the NCHSAA's Wells Fargo Cup standings for 1A, an all-time best for the school.
Controversy
The Durham County School Board and the Durham City Council had both previously voted to oppose the charter, citing concerns of lower-income accessibility. Proponents of the high school, however, explained that the school plans to target the area's diversity of race, gender, and economic background. A public forum held on February 13, 2012 allowed area residents to voice their opinions about the proposed charter. The response was generally positive. Despite Durham Public Schools' opposition, the school's charter was approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education on March 1, 2012.
