Middle Schools in Public Schools of Robeson County

Public Schools of Robeson County operates eight middle schools serving roughly 4,073 students in grades 4–8 across this rural North Carolina district. The district is rated 1 star and ranked 190th of 246 statewide (about the 23rd percentile), and most of its middle schools sit far below state averages: the 2025–2026 school ranks range from the 2nd percentile at Fairmont Middle to the 48th percentile at Littlefield Middle. Poverty is nearly universal — free/reduced lunch eligibility averages about 99.3% across the eight schools — and chronic absenteeism averages roughly 44%, nearly double the state average of 24.2%.

Littlefield Middle is the clear standout, ranking 408th of 778 schools (48th percentile) with a 2-star rating and a simple EOG proficiency average near 62%. It meets or exceeds state averages on several tests — including 75% proficiency in 5th-grade math and 68.6% in 8th-grade science — while serving the same ~99.5% free/reduced lunch population as its peers. The other schools struggle by comparison: Pembroke Middle is next-highest at the 13th percentile, followed by South Robeson Middle School (8th percentile), Red Springs Middle and Orrum Middle (6th percentile), Lumberton Junior and Saint Pauls Middle (4th percentile), and Fairmont Middle at the 2nd percentile with just 12.1% proficiency in 5th-grade math and a 52.6% chronic absenteeism rate.

Math is the biggest academic weakness, especially 8th-grade math: the state average is 53.0%, but most non-Littlefield middle schools score between 11.7% and 20.6%. Extra resources do not automatically produce better outcomes — Fairmont Middle has the lowest student-teacher ratio (11.9) and Lumberton Junior the highest per-pupil spending ($12,283), yet both lag far behind Littlefield Middle, which has the largest classes and lowest historical spending. Chronic absenteeism is severe but does not neatly predict performance; Saint Pauls Middle has the lowest rate (31.8%) yet still ranks in the 4th percentile. Parents should interpret single-year scores cautiously, as some grade-level results swung dramatically year to year. Most importantly, Littlefield Middle deserves close study as the most promising model for improvement in this district.