Summary:
Onslow County Schools operates 8 middle schools serving grades 6-8 in the Jacksonville area of North Carolina, with a total enrollment of 6,218 students. The district as a whole ranks 136th out of 246 North Carolina districts, and its middle schools collectively average about 53.5% EOG proficiency versus roughly 57.7% statewide. But that district-level picture masks wide variation: the same county contains both top-quartile middle schools and schools performing in the bottom fifth of the state.
New Bridge Middle is the clear academic leader. It ranks in the 75th percentile statewide with a 68% average EOG proficiency, and it is the only middle school in the district where every reported subject exceeds the state average. It also has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate, at 17.4%. Swansboro Middle, the largest school at 1,052 students, is the next strongest performer, posting 62.7% proficiency and a 67th-percentile ranking, with reading as a particular strength. Northwoods Park Middle is the most-improved school, climbing from the 41st to the 60th percentile over three years and now reaching 60.2% proficiency despite a poverty rate above 50%.
At the other end of the spectrum, Jacksonville Commons Middle (40.2% proficiency, 17th percentile) and Southwest Middle (41.9% proficiency, 20th percentile) are the schools of greatest concern. Both have free/reduced lunch rates above 60%, and Southwest has the district's worst chronic absenteeism rate at 34.2%. The average proficiency gap between New Bridge and Jacksonville Commons is roughly 28 points, and it reaches 42 points in 8th grade math. Dixon Middle, despite having the district's lowest poverty rate at 34.3% FRL, has declined from the 66th to the 48th percentile. District-wide, chronic absenteeism averages about 25.9%, while 8th grade science stands out as a relative strength at every school.
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