Flat Rock Middle

Flat Rock Middle is a grades 6–8 school in Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools serving 674 students at 4648 Ebert Rd in Winston Salem, NC. The school serves an extremely high-poverty population — 99.55% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch — but it is one of the lowest-performing middle schools in North Carolina. In 2025–2026, it earned 0 stars and ranked 724th out of 778 middle schools statewide, placing it in the 7th percentile. Its performance has remained consistently very low for more than a decade, never ranking above the 19th percentile since at least 2016.

Academic proficiency at the school is far below district and state averages in every subject, and gaps widen as students progress. Only 16.8% of 8th graders scored proficient in math in 2025–2026, versus 53.0% statewide; in reading, 22.1% were proficient versus 56.1% statewide. The largest gap is in 8th grade science, where 25.1% of students were proficient versus 68.6% across North Carolina. The comparison to nearby schools in the same district is stark. Meadowlark Middle (7.1 miles away) and Thomas Jefferson Middle (7.4 miles away) both serve roughly 99.5% low-income students yet earn 4 stars and rank in the 79th and 84th percentiles. Clemmons Middle School, just 2.2 miles away with 98.35% free/reduced lunch eligibility, is a 3-star school at the 65th percentile.

Chronic absenteeism is at crisis levels: 43.7% of students missed 10% or more of the 2024–2025 school year, versus 24.2% statewide. The school also spends more per pupil ($9,360) and has a lower student–teacher ratio (13.5) than its higher-performing neighbors, which achieve much better results with larger classes and lower spending. This suggests the key levers are school climate, attendance intervention, and instructional quality — not poverty or resources. The encouraging news is that high-poverty schools just miles away in the same district prove strong outcomes are possible, so this school's current trajectory is not inevitable.