Best Public Schools in Orrum, NC

Orrum, North Carolina is home to just one public school, Orrum Middle, serving grades 5 through 8 within the Public Schools of Robeson County. With no elementary or high school in the city, Orrum Middle acts as the central educational bridge for local families, though it is also a school facing deep challenges: nearly all of its 294 students come from low-income households, and more than four in ten students are chronically absent.

Orrum Middle ranks in the bottom 6% of North Carolina schools, and its overall state ranking has remained essentially flat for three straight years. Academically, the school trails both its district and the state in almost every subject and grade. In 2025–2026, school-wide math proficiency was just 29.9% compared to 57.8% statewide, and reading proficiency was 29.0% versus 55.6% statewide. The most severe concern is 8th-grade math, where only 16.3% of students are proficient — less than half the district rate and far below the state average. Science proficiency is also low at 37.3% schoolwide, well behind the state’s 68.2%. While the district itself is low-performing and ranks in the bottom quarter of North Carolina districts, Orrum Middle still comes in below the district average on nearly all measures.

There are encouraging signs worth noting. From the prior year, 6th-grade math jumped from 29.3% to 42.4%, and 5th-grade science rose from 29.0% to 42.1%, both by 13 percentage points. Solid gains also appeared in 7th-grade reading and 8th-grade science. These improvements show the school is capable of progress, even though it remains far from state averages. For parents, the biggest red flags are the 43.7% chronic absenteeism rate — nearly double the state average — and the fact that students arrive at 8th grade with large academic gaps. Because Orrum Middle serves the only school-aged population in Orrum, its success is especially critical to the community, and consistent focus on reducing absences and sustaining recent gains will be key to lifting outcomes.