Established in 1962, in November 2012 the school relocated to a new building on the same site.[2] Previously a community school administered by Durham County Council, in September 2019 Dene Community School converted to academy status and was renamed Dene Academy. The school is now sponsored by the Advance Learning Partnership.
Dene Academy offers GCSEs and BTECs as programmes of study for pupils. Most graduating students go on to attend East Durham College.[3]