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Benson Middle

Q: Is Benson Middle a good school?

Benson Middle ranks 475 th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

475^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 39% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Benson Middle is a public middle school in Benson, North Carolina, serving grades 5-8 with a student population of 493. It is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district, which is ranked 94 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Benson Middle's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on End-of-Grade (EOG) tests, is generally lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Benson Middle's proficiency rates in Mathematics ranged from 37.9% to 62.2% across grades 6-8, compared to the district's 50.6% to 58.7% and the state's 48.7% to 57.2%. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina middle schools, with a ranking between 372 and 659 out of 692 to 773 schools over the past 10 years, and its ranking has fluctuated between 2 and 3 stars on the SchoolDigger rating scale.

Benson Middle's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with the school performing relatively well for Multi-racial and English Language Learner students but struggling with Special Education and Gifted and Talented students, ranking in the bottom half of the state. Additionally, Benson Middle has a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 51.55% to 99.39% over the past few years, suggesting a high concentration of students from low-income families. Compared to nearby schools within the Johnston County Public Schools district, such as Smithfield Middle, Cleveland Middle, and McGee's Crossroads Middle, Benson Middle's academic performance is generally lower, with these schools tending to have higher proficiency rates and better overall rankings.

377

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,496

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1600 N Wall Street
Benson, NC 27504-1717

(919) 894-3889

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend Benson Middle usually attend:

High:

South Johnston High

Feeder schools for Benson Middle:

Elementary:

Benson Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.5%

White:

32.1%

African American:

19.1%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Benson Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2015 → 39th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (48% vs 54% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg56%

North Carolina avg54%

475^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 12Middle Schools in the Johnston County Public Schools

94^th of 242Johnston County Public Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	475 of 773	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.4	380 of 793	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.7	476 of 784	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.4	504 of 786	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.9	509 of 741	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.3	610 of 737	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.6	604 of 691	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.7	468 of 694	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.5	409 of 692	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	49.8	372 of 705	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	26.9	465 of 627	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.1	486 of 673	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	55.0	363 of 662	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.5	432 of 648	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.1	375 of 640	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.5	347 of 630	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.3	338 of 620	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	44.1	404 of 606	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.3	394 of 598	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	337 of 546	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.9	179 of 560	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.6	427 of 559	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	403 of 550	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	464 of 533	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	432 of 519	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	445 of 494	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	42.5	210 of 449	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.4	141 of 478	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	43.9	263 of 504	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	323 of 475	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.7	142 of 371	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.3	231 of 356	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.4	125 of 318	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.3	159 of 312	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	451 of 733	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	404 of 738	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	437 of 731	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	436 of 733	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.0	514 of 706	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	584 of 684	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.9	588 of 656	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.2	182 of 458	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.9	316 of 461	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.6	430 of 452	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	53.0	262 of 450	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.4	215 of 448	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.3	36 of 416	91.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	282 of 562	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.9	206 of 564	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	327 of 553	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.9	408 of 541	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.6	411 of 522	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	460 of 493	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	463 of 472	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	486 of 729	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.0	279 of 743	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.9	492 of 735	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	406 of 689	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.4	397 of 633	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.0	539 of 639	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	560 of 604	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	38.3	456 of 733	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.9	312 of 751	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.7	476 of 747	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	533 of 748	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.8	466 of 711	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.4	591 of 697	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	603 of 665	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	68 of 328	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	63.3	95 of 306	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	150 of 302	50.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	381 of 478	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.3	453 of 649	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	366 of 652	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	430 of 656	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	372 of 658	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.7	379 of 632	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.0	545 of 624	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.0	558 of 596	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Multi-racial (2025)79th percentile+41 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)62nd percentile+23 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)60th percentile+22 vs school

Disabled (2022)53rd percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2025)50th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile~ school

African American (2025)38th percentile~ school

Male (2025)38th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)30th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science52%-8 vs state

Mathematics48%-5 vs state

Reading46%-7 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, February 19, 2017

It's a good school just some kids there don't care about anything , we have clubs, after school activities, we even have at least one teacher in each grade level that sat has after every day of the week we perform great academically you don't count those who just want to get it over with. Close Quote

Schools Near Benson Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Benson Middle	Public	6-8	1600 N Wall Street	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 894-3889	377	26	14.7	99.2%	121 (32.1%)	72 (19.1%)	164 (43.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (5.0%)	39.6	475^th of 773 public middle schools	38.6%		51.4	380^th of 793 public middle schools	52.1%	95	45.2	62.2	37.9	40.0	47.1	51.6	52.0	$9,496	$899	$8,596
Dunn Middle	Public	6-8	1301 Meadowlark Road	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 892-1016	388	28	13.8	99.0%	69 (17.8%)	171 (44.1%)	128 (33.0%)	6 (1.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.6%)	30.1	549^th of 773 public middle schools	29.0%		28.1	580^th of 793 public middle schools	26.9%	31	53.9	52.8	33.8	35.7	31.7	44.4	46.2	$10,917	$1,260	$9,657
Coats-Erwin Middle	Public	6-8	2833 NC Hwy 55E	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 230-0300	589	37	15.7	98.5%	246 (41.8%)	104 (17.7%)	210 (35.7%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.1%)	26.1	580^th of 773 public middle schools	25.0%		19	667^th of 793 public middle schools	15.9%	87	44.2	36.6	29.8	44.0	44.0	39.4	46.0	$8,076	$555	$7,521
Four Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	1475 Boyette Road	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 963-4022	477	31	15.3	98.1%	235 (49.3%)	66 (13.8%)	152 (31.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.6%)	61.6	270^th of 773 public middle schools	65.1%		60.2	286^th of 793 public middle schools	63.9%	16	55.3	54.9	64.1	48.0	57.4	58.3	71.8	$9,812	$944	$8,868
McGee's Crossroads Middle	Public	6-8	13353 NC Highway 210	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-6003	757	42	18.0	98.9%	388 (51.3%)	93 (12.3%)	229 (30.3%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.3%)	63.4	258^th of 773 public middle schools	66.6%		64.3	257^th of 793 public middle schools	67.6%	1	60.4	61.4	44.8	60.4	63.1	61.1	61.5	$8,319	$639	$7,679
Cleveland Middle	Public	6-8	2323 Cornwallis Road	Garner	27529	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-7500	936	51	18.4	99.7%	439 (46.9%)	215 (23.0%)	193 (20.6%)	26 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (6.5%)	66	242^nd of 773 public middle schools	68.7%		73	188^th of 793 public middle schools	76.3%	54	60.1	50.0	72.2	56.4	55.5	65.3	67.8	$7,527	$410	$7,117
Swift Creek Middle	Public	6-8	325 Norris Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 262-0750	691	45	15.5	99.3%	334 (48.3%)	101 (14.6%)	215 (31.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.2%)	56	316^th of 773 public middle schools	59.1%		62.7	269^th of 793 public middle schools	66.1%	47	65.6	67.7	43.8	58.6	52.5	49.2	55.4	$8,637	$480	$8,156
The Innovation Academy at South Campus	Public	6-8	521 Martin Luther King Dr	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-6481	263	18	14.4	98.5%	134 (51.0%)	41 (15.6%)	68 (25.9%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.5%)	94.6	37^th of 773 public middle schools	95.2%		89.8	64^th of 793 public middle schools	91.9%	27	90.3	72.4	79.1	86.0	78.6	91.0	92.5	$8,168	$360	$7,808
Smithfield Middle	Public	6-8	1455 Buffalo Rd	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-4696	573	44	13.1	98.8%	52 (9.1%)	176 (30.7%)	316 (55.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.4%)	18	659^th of 773 public middle schools	14.7%		23.1	632^nd of 793 public middle schools	20.3%	27	31.6	28.9	20.9	39.8	43.3	42.3	33.7	$10,489	$1,415	$9,074
Harnett Central Middle	Public	6-8	2529 Harnett Central Rd	Angier	27501	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 639-6000	1,059	64	16.5	97.8%	458 (43.2%)	227 (21.4%)	310 (29.3%)	5 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (5.2%)	27.4	568^th of 773 public middle schools	26.5%		26.1	603^rd of 793 public middle schools	24.0%	35	40.8	36.5	35.9	41.3	44.5	43.6	46.9	$8,387	$686	$7,701

Frequently Asked Questions about Benson Middle

What district is Benson Middle in?

Johnston County Public Schools

How many students attend Benson Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 377 students attended Benson Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Benson Middle?

Students at Benson Middle are 44% Hispanic, 32% White, 19% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Benson Middle attend?

Students who attend Benson Middle usually go on to attend South Johnston High

Is Benson Middle a good school?

Benson Middle ranks 475^th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Benson Middle!

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Schools in Benson, NC

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.