There are three boarding Houses at Durham School:
- Pimlico: Girls Day & Boarding, 11-18
- Poole: Boys Day & Boarding, 11-18
- School: Boys Day & Boarding, 11-18
Each of the Houses provides a strong sense of identity and spirit, developed through communal living, the many competitions and a wide range of activities.
The Houses have excellent facilities including kitchens, common rooms and quiet spaces for work. Houses are equipped with state of the art Wi-Fi networks, with access to Skype and some social networks. While the architecture varies, facilities in each House are similar; long dormitories are a thing of the past, and all pupils are accommodated in shared rooms.
Rooms are inviting and personalised in all areas, and the boarders are justifiably proud of their Houses. The Housemasters/mistresses live in the Boarding Houses with their families, and are supported by a House Tutor, a resident Matron and a team of visiting Tutors.
Outside the Houses, pupils have access to the School's extensive grounds, the swimming pool, the all-weather pitch, the Budworth Sports' Centre, music practice rooms; sixth-formers may study in the Sixth Form Centre or even the Bill Bryson Library at the University of Durham. The School also has a Medical Centre staffed by two qualified nurses.