High Schools in Martin County Schools

Martin County High is the single high school serving Martin County Schools in Williamston, NC, providing education for grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 752 students. This is a school and community facing extreme economic challenges, as 99.6 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, making it a very high-poverty school. Because this is the only high school in the district, its performance drives the district's overall profile, and the school currently ranks in the bottom 14 percent of North Carolina high schools.

School performance data tells a mixed story. The clearest strength is the graduation rate of 92.5 percent, which tops the state average of 88.8 percent. On the academic side, proficiency levels mostly fall below state averages. Math III stands out as the most serious weakness, with only 26.4 percent of students proficient in 2025–2026, a sharp decline from 39.3 percent the year before and a substantial 42.5-point gap behind the state average. Math I is a relative bright spot academically, with 39.0 percent proficiency, coming close to the state rate of 42.1 percent. English II proficiency is also a concern at 41.6 percent versus 64.6 percent statewide. Chronic absenteeism is a major risk factor, impacting 32.7 percent of students compared to 24.2 percent across North Carolina.

Despite these challenges, there are some positive developments worth noting. Biology proficiency improved meaningfully over the past year, rising from 26.4 percent to 37.7 percent, although the school still trails the state average of 58.5 percent in this subject. The student-teacher ratio of 23.3 to 1 suggests larger class sizes and limited staffing resources, yet the school still manages to graduate students at a rate above the state average. For parents, the overall picture is a school showing resilience by helping students graduate despite near-universal poverty, lower test proficiency, and significant attendance concerns. The most urgent priorities for improvement are strengthening Math III performance and addressing chronic absenteeism, while building on the positive momentum seen in Biology.