Middle Schools in Martin County Schools

Martin County Schools in North Carolina is home to two middle schools — Riverside Middle in Williamston and South Creek Middle in Robersonville — both serving grades 6 through 8. Riverside Middle has an enrollment of 335 students, while South Creek Middle is considerably smaller at 146 students. The district ranks in the 40th percentile among North Carolina districts (148 out of 246) with a 2-star rating, and because it is so small, comparisons between these two schools are direct and must be understood in light of the very small student populations involved.

Riverside Middle is clearly the stronger-performing school of the two. Riverside ranks 480th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools (38th percentile, 2 stars) for 2025-2026, while South Creek Middle ranks 619th (20th percentile, 1 star). Riverside outperforms South Creek in nearly every subject and grade level, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 22.8% is below the district average (31.4%) and even below the state average (24.2%) — a notable achievement given the very high poverty rate at the school. South Creek's chronic absenteeism rate of 45.5% is nearly double the state rate and is a major concern. Both schools serve extremely high-poverty populations, with 99.1% of Riverside students and 96.6% of South Creek students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Both schools showed significant improvement in 8th grade from the prior school year. Riverside's 8th-grade math proficiency jumped from 27.0% to 59.6% — a 32.6-point gain that lifted the school above the state average of 53.0% — while 8th-grade science rose from 42.3% to 62.6%. South Creek made an even larger 8th-grade math leap, going from 12.5% to 45.7%, a 33.2-point improvement. Over three years, Riverside has moved its state percentile ranking from the 26th to the 38th percentile, while South Creek has climbed from the 17th to the 20th percentile. Reading remains the biggest challenge for both schools, with most grade levels below state averages. Even though South Creek has a slightly more favorable student-teacher ratio (12.1:1 versus Riverside's 13.6:1), it generally achieves lower results, suggesting that attendance and instructional supports may matter more than class size alone. Overall, Riverside Middle is the standout school in this district, but both schools will need continued focus on reading proficiency and reducing absenteeism.