Turrentine Middle

Turrentine Middle is a grades 6–8 school in Burlington, NC, serving 739 students in the Alamance-Burlington Schools district. In the most recent state rankings, the school jumped from the 13th to the 28th percentile, placing 561st out of 778 North Carolina middle schools — a sign of genuine momentum for a school where 99.6% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Reading proficiency now sits near the district average at 47% proficient, while math remains the main weakness at 39.7% proficient. Eighth-grade science is a bright spot at 60.9% proficient, above the district average and close to the state average.

Among its same-district neighbors, Turrentine ranks mid-pack, clearly outperforming Woodlawn Middle, Broadview Middle, and Graham Middle — three schools with similarly high poverty rates. Turrentine's reading and science scores exceed those of Woodlawn and Broadview, and its scores are far higher than Graham's in every subject. It still trails Hawfields Middle and Western Alamance Middle, which serve more economically diverse populations. A notable cross-district comparison is Southeast Guilford Middle, which shares Turrentine's 99.6% poverty rate but ranks at the 47th percentile — evidence that high-poverty schools can achieve more, and that Turrentine has room to keep climbing.

Chronic absenteeism remains the clearest non-academic barrier, affecting 35.6% of Turrentine students — down from a pandemic peak of 52.8% but still well above the state average of 24.2%. Grade-level trends show students arriving in 6th grade with reading skills close to state averages before losing ground by 8th grade, particularly in math. Encouragingly, subgroup gains are broad: gifted students rank at the 66th percentile statewide, special education students jumped from the 9th to the 41st percentile, and Hispanic, low-income, and African American students all improved their standing relative to state peers. English Learners and female students still need focused attention, but the school's upward trajectory makes it one worth watching.