Middle Schools in Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools

Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools has exactly two middle schools serving grades 6–8 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina: Elizabeth City Middle and River Road Middle. Both schools are strikingly similar in size and student needs—around 400–480 students, about 99% free/reduced lunch eligibility, chronic absenteeism near 31%, nearly identical spending per student, and comparable teacher-student ratios. In the most recent state rankings, they both sit near the 34th–35th percentile of North Carolina middle schools with 2-star ratings, and the district itself ranks in the middle of the state. If you are comparing these two schools, the overall averages hide very different academic personalities.

Elizabeth City Middle is the stronger school for reading and science. Its 7th-grade reading proficiency was 61.9% versus just 43.8% at River Road Middle, and its 8th-grade science proficiency hit 66.2%, nearly matching the state average, while River Road Middle trailed at 50.7%. It also beat River Road in most reading and science EOG tests. River Road Middle, however, has become the math leader and the district’s most improved school. In the most recent year, 6th-grade math proficiency was 57.1% at River Road versus 42.9% at Elizabeth City Middle, and 7th-grade math was 57.8% versus 47.5%. River Road Middle raised its overall EOG average from 42.5% to 49.2%, while Elizabeth City Middle only moved from 47.4% to 48.7%.

Both schools face one shared crisis: 8th-grade math. Only about one in three students at either school is proficient, far below the 53% state average, despite stronger results in earlier grades. This suggests a serious transition problem in math by 8th grade. High poverty and chronic absenteeism frame these results—about one in three students is chronically absent at each school, well above the state rate. For parents, the takeaway is that neither school is currently high-performing by state standards, but they are nearly tied overall. Choose Elizabeth City Middle if you prioritize reading and science, or consider River Road Middle if you want a school with strong recent momentum and clear improvement in math.