Summary:
Person County Schools in Roxboro, North Carolina, operates two middle schools — Southern Middle and Northern Middle — both serving grades 6-8 with nearly identical enrollments of 456 and 454 students respectively and an identical 99.34% free/reduced-price lunch rate, making them highly comparable schools with sharply different results. The district overall is rated solidly in the middle-to-upper-middle range statewide, ranking 104th out of 246 North Carolina districts with a 3-star rating.
Southern Middle is the clear standout. It holds a 3-star SchoolDigger rating, ranks in the 59th percentile statewide, and outperforms Northern Middle in every tested grade and subject combination. Southern Middle's math proficiency across grades 6-8 ranges from 60.8% to 63.6%, all above state averages, and its 8th-grade science proficiency of 76.4% tops both the district's 64.5% and the state's 68.6%. Reading is its weak spot, with 6th- and 8th-grade reading still trailing the state. Northern Middle, by contrast, earns just 1 star and ranks in the 23rd percentile. It falls below district and state averages in every category, and its math proficiency slides from 58.3% in 6th grade to just 34.6% in 8th grade.
The gap between the two schools widens sharply in upper-grade math, growing from about 5 points in 6th grade to roughly 26 points in 8th grade. Chronic absenteeism is high at both: 33.4% at Southern Middle versus 38.1% at Northern Middle, compared with roughly 24% statewide. Encouragingly, both schools improved from 2024-25 to 2025-26 — Northern Middle posted large gains in 6th-grade math and reading, while Southern Middle improved strongly in 7th-grade math and reading. The gap remains, however: Southern Middle averages about 60% proficiency across tested subjects, while Northern Middle averages about 44%. For parents, Southern Middle is the stronger choice, especially in math and science, while Northern Middle shows an urgent need for additional support in upper-grade math, reading, and chronic absenteeism.
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