Summary:
Duplin County Schools serves approximately 9,822 students across 13 schools in a rural, high-poverty region of North Carolina, with eight elementary-typed schools (several serving PK-8) and five high-typed schools, and no standalone middle schools. Nearly every school has a free/reduced lunch rate above 98 percent, and the district overall ranks in the 18th percentile statewide with a 1-star rating.
Families will find stark differences in academic performance across the district. Duplin Early College High is the clear standout: it ranks in the 71st percentile statewide with a 4-star rating, and its EOC proficiency rates in Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III all exceed district and state averages. North Duplin Junior Senior High is the strongest traditional high school, ranking at the 51st percentile with an 89 percent graduation rate, and its 7th- and 8th-grade EOG scores are among the best in the district. Its feeder school, North Duplin Elementary, is the highest-ranked elementary school at the 46th percentile. At the other end, Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary, Wallace Elementary, Warsaw Elementary, and Wallace-Rose Hill High all sit in the bottom quartile—and often the bottom 10 percent—of their respective school-type rankings.
Attendance patterns track with achievement: the lowest chronic absenteeism rates belong to the North Duplin schools (13.4% and 13.9%), while the lowest-performing schools all exceed 20 percent absenteeism. Poverty is essentially constant across the district, so it cannot explain the wide gaps among schools. The Wallace/Rose Hill zone stands out as a systemic challenge, with low performance at both the elementary and high school levels, suggesting a need for coordinated intervention. Chinquapin Elementary offers a hidden bright spot in its middle grades, with 6th-grade math and reading exceeding state averages. Families interested in the strongest outcomes should look closely at Duplin Early College High and the North Duplin feeder pattern.
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