Phillips Middle

Phillips Middle is a small, rural school in Battleboro, NC, serving just 118 students across grades 6–8 and belonging to Edgecombe County Public Schools. Nearly all students (97–98%) come from economically disadvantaged households and qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school currently ranks at the 8th percentile statewide (718th of 778 middle schools, zero stars), a decline from its post-pandemic peak at the 20th percentile in 2021–22.

The most urgent concern is the current 8th-grade cohort's academic performance — proficiency in 8th-grade math is just 6.3%, compared with 29.4% in the district and 53% statewide. The same group of students scored much better a year earlier in 7th grade, which illustrates how dramatically outcomes can swing when a school is this small. Attendance is also a challenge, with 36.5% of students chronically absent, although that is actually the lowest rate among Edgecombe County middle schools. Still, there are positives to note: African American students at Phillips rank in the 37th percentile statewide (2 stars), and Hispanic students previously ranked in the 70th percentile (4 stars) when data was last reported. The school also spends $13,631 per student and has a 12.4:1 student-teacher ratio — more favorable than most schools in the region.

Comparisons with nearby schools show that poverty does not have to define outcomes. South Edgecombe Middle, in the same district with even higher poverty and absenteeism, ranks in the 44th percentile statewide and posts dramatically higher test scores — 45.1% versus 6.3% in 8th-grade math. Red Oak Middle, just across the county line in Nash County, serves a nearly identical population but reports proficiency rates 20–30 points higher in most subjects. And Elm City Middle in Wilson County — also about 99% free/reduced lunch — ranks in the 76th percentile statewide. These schools demonstrate that strong achievement is possible under similar circumstances; Phillips' challenges more likely come down to instructional practices, attendance interventions, and how support is delivered to students, not a lack of funding or an incapable student body.