High Schools in Sampson County Schools

Sampson County Schools operates five public high schools in rural North Carolina — Midway High, Union High, Lakewood High, Hobbton High, and Sampson Early College High — serving grades 9 through 12 with a combined enrollment of 2,391 students. Between 96% and 99% of students at every school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, so high poverty is a shared condition across the district. The district ranks 134th of 246 with a 2-star rating, yet school-level outcomes range from a top-5% performer to bottom-quarter schools.

Sampson Early College High is the district's clear standout: it ranks 36th of 662 high schools statewide (95th percentile, 5 stars) and posts a 94.2% graduation rate with EOC proficiency rates of 86.7% to 100% — achieved despite the lowest per-student spending ($7,255) and highest student-teacher ratio in the district. Among the four traditional high schools, Midway High is strongest: it ranks in the 65th percentile (3 stars), beats state averages in every EOC subject, graduates 90.2% of students, and holds chronic absenteeism to 15.8%, far below the state's 24.2%. Union High is the most struggling school, ranking 542nd (18th percentile, 1 star), with only 26.4% of students proficient in Math I and a 26.8% chronic absenteeism rate.

The biggest takeaway is that poverty alone does not determine performance: every school serves a nearly identical high-poverty population, yet Sampson Early College High outperforms the state by 30 to 40 points while Union and Hobbton lag far behind. Hobbton High has declined most steeply, falling from the 42nd to 27th percentile since 2023–2024, while Union improved in every subject but still lost ground as statewide averages rose faster. One striking pattern is that Math III proficiency far exceeds Math I at most schools — Midway posts 91.5% in Math III versus 50.3% in Math I — reflecting the more selective group of students who persist to advanced math. For parents, Sampson Early College High and Midway High offer the strongest academics, while Lakewood, Hobbton, and Union trail.