Summary:
Martin County Schools, located in Martin County, NC, is a small rural district serving 2,647 students across eight schools: five elementary schools (Williamston Primary, South Creek Elementary, E J Hayes Elementary, Rodgers Elementary, and Jamesville Elementary), two middle schools (Riverside Middle and South Creek Middle), and one high school (Martin County High). The district overall is ranked 148th out of 246 North Carolina districts with a 2-star rating, and nearly every school serves a student population where over 96% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it a high-poverty area where school-level differences stand out sharply.
One school is a clear standout: Williamston Primary earns a 5-star rating and ranks in the 96th percentile statewide, with 100% proficiency in 5th-grade math and 95.5% in 5th-grade science despite 99.17% economic disadvantage. On the other hand, E J Hayes Elementary is the district’s biggest trouble spot, sitting at the 4th percentile with a 0-star rating and proficiency rates as low as 24.7% in 3rd-grade reading. Among middle schools, Riverside Middle is improving, now at the 38th percentile with the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism (22.8%) and stronger-than-state 8th-grade math (59.6%). In contrast, South Creek Middle is at the 20th percentile with 45.5% chronic absenteeism and only 22% proficiency in 6th-grade math.
The biggest district-wide concern is chronic absenteeism, which averages about 31.2% versus 24.2% statewide; only Riverside Middle and Rodgers Elementary fall below the state average. The South Creek feeder pattern, including South Creek Elementary and South Creek Middle, shows a community hotspot with severe attendance and achievement challenges. High school results are mixed: Martin County High posts an above-average 92.5% graduation rate, but only 26.4% of students score proficient in Math III and 37.7% in Biology. Jamesville Elementary and other schools show unstable year-to-year scores, but Williamston Primary proves that high-poverty students in Martin County can perform at elite levels, making attendance and school-level practices the key levers for improvement.
Thank you for your feedback!