Ranked in the top 100 statewide across all North Carolina licensed childcare centers scored in our 2026 rankings.
Top 10 in Durham
Ranked in the top 10 overall across all 11 quality dimensions among every licensed childcare center in Durham.
Best Safety
Earned the highest safety score in Durham. This dimension evaluates facility maintenance, staff-to-child ratios, emergency preparedness, and parent-reported safety perceptions.
Best Infant Care
Earned the highest infant care score in Durham. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.
Best Teacher Quality
Earned the highest teacher quality score in Durham. This dimension reflects educator credentials, tenure, consistency, and the depth of praise parents direct at specific staff members.
Most Compassionate
Earned the highest compassion score in Durham. This dimension captures warmth, emotional attunement, and the degree to which parents feel their child is genuinely loved and seen.
Full Ranking Detail
childcarepreschool
Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. is a long-standing Durham institution that has earned the state's top 5-star DCDEE license and serves as a model center for NC rating-scale trainers. Founded in 1995 and led by credentialed director Dalphia Murphy, the academy blends Early Head Start, Durham PreK, and private enrollment across infant through preschool classrooms with a strong emphasis on individualized, inclusive care. Its Duke HR-approved status and university practicum partnerships signal a commitment to professional excellence recognized well beyond the neighborhood.
Safety8.0
Curriculum8.0
Art / Music6.0
Infant care9.0
Kindergarten readiness7.0
Teacher quality9.0
Compassion9.0
Management8.0
Culture8.0
Class sizes7.0
Extracurriculars7.0
What parents say
“Ms. Murphy and her staff provide the highest quality of service, education and it is a family atmosphere. I couldn't picture my child being anywhere else but at Randy's Five Star Academy.”
“Randy's Five Star Academy has provided quality child care and teaching for my child since the first day they welcomed us — over two years ago — and we have never been disappointed.”
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Your center has earned independent recognition based on verified parent reviews. You are welcome to display this badge on your website. Paste the snippet below into your site's HTML — it links back to this verified recognition page.
Top 100 in NC
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/durham/randy-s-five-star-academy-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-100-state.jpg" alt="Top 100 in NC - Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. - Durham, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 100 in NC</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked in the top 100 statewide across all North Carolina licensed childcare centers scored in our 2026 rankings.</span>
</span>
</a>
Top 10 in Durham
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/durham/randy-s-five-star-academy-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-10-city.jpg" alt="Top 10 in Durham - Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. - Durham, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 10 in Durham</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked in the top 10 overall across all 11 quality dimensions among every licensed childcare center in Durham.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/durham/randy-s-five-star-academy-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-safety.jpg" alt="Best Safety - Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. - Durham, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Safety</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest safety score in Durham. This dimension evaluates facility maintenance, staff-to-child ratios, emergency preparedness, and parent-reported safety perceptions.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Infant Care
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/durham/randy-s-five-star-academy-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-infant.jpg" alt="Best Infant Care - Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. - Durham, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Infant Care</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest infant care score in Durham. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Teacher Quality
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/durham/randy-s-five-star-academy-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-teacherq.jpg" alt="Best Teacher Quality - Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. - Durham, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Teacher Quality</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest teacher quality score in Durham. This dimension reflects educator credentials, tenure, consistency, and the depth of praise parents direct at specific staff members.</span>
</span>
</a>
Most Compassionate
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/durham/randy-s-five-star-academy-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-compassion.jpg" alt="Most Compassionate - Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. - Durham, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Most Compassionate</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest compassion score in Durham. This dimension captures warmth, emotional attunement, and the degree to which parents feel their child is genuinely loved and seen.</span>
</span>
</a>
This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.
