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Highland Middle

Q: Is Highland Middle a good school?

Highland Middle ranks 495 th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

495^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 36% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Highland Middle is a public middle school located in Sanford, North Carolina, serving 803 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Harnett County Schools district, which is ranked 184 out of 242 districts in the state.

Academically, Highland Middle's performance on state assessments is generally lower than the state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in Mathematics ranged from 38.9% (8th grade) to 54.9% (6th grade), compared to the state averages of 48.7% (8th grade) and 57.2% (6th grade). Similarly, in Reading, Highland Middle's proficiency rates ranged from 37.9% (7th grade) to 47.6% (8th grade), while the state averages were 51.9% (7th grade) and 54.2% (8th grade). The school's performance in 8th grade Science (58.5% proficient) was also lower than the state average of 60.1%.

Compared to nearby schools, Highland Middle's academic performance is generally lower than Overhills Middle and Western Harnett Middle, which are also part of the Harnett County Schools district. However, Highland Middle's performance is still better than some schools in the neighboring Cumberland County and Lee County districts, such as West Lee Middle and Spring Lake Middle.

762

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,358

Per pupil spending ?

63.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

345 Highland School Rd
Sanford, NC 27332

(919) 498-3331

District: Harnett County Schools

Students who attend Highland Middle usually attend:

High:

Western Harnett High

Feeder schools for Highland Middle:

Elementary:	Highland Elementary
	Johnsonville Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.7%

Hispanic:

29.1%

African American:

17.7%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Highland Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2016 → 36th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (46% vs 54% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg43%

North Carolina avg54%

495^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 42% (2016) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Middle Schools in the Harnett County Schools

184^th of 242Harnett County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.9	495 of 773	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	490 of 793	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	502 of 784	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	452 of 786	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.4	414 of 741	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.4	470 of 737	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	462 of 691	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.1	442 of 694	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.0	398 of 692	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.9	294 of 546	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.4	347 of 560	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.7	471 of 559	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.0	314 of 550	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.8	254 of 533	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.1	283 of 519	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.7	253 of 494	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	27.7	343 of 449	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.0	268 of 478	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.0	427 of 504	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	436 of 475	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	166 of 371	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	132 of 356	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.9	158 of 318	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.8	239 of 312	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.7	82 of 236	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.8	111 of 211	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.0	494 of 733	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.8	441 of 738	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	470 of 731	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	418 of 733	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.4	405 of 706	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.4	442 of 684	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.7	406 of 656	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	366 of 458	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.0	336 of 461	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.3	288 of 452	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.8	264 of 450	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	323 of 448	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	68.0	99 of 416	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	15 of 127	88.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	39.0	363 of 562	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	335 of 564	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.0	312 of 553	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.4	269 of 541	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.2	288 of 522	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	326 of 493	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.5	337 of 472	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	467 of 729	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	471 of 743	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.5	543 of 735	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.1	475 of 689	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.9	380 of 633	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.0	465 of 639	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.2	371 of 604	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	463 of 733	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	480 of 751	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	502 of 747	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	456 of 748	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.5	391 of 711	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	461 of 697	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.5	505 of 665	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	42 of 64	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.0	32 of 58	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.5	26 of 54	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.8	17 of 58	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	55.4	28 of 57	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.7	23 of 48	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	23.7	41 of 45	8.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	236 of 328	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.9	160 of 306	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	209 of 302	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.4	188 of 283	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.9	152 of 248	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.3	200 of 237	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.9	187 of 221	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.4	305 of 478	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	348 of 473	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	485 of 649	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.1	477 of 652	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.8	444 of 656	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.1	417 of 658	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.2	369 of 632	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.8	439 of 624	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.9	477 of 596	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2025)55th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2025)46th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)37th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)36th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)35th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)34th percentile~ school

Female (2025)33rd percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)28th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-11 vs school

Disabled (2022)24th percentile-19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)20th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science58%~ state avg

Mathematics46%-7 vs state

Reading43%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland Middle	Public	6-8	345 Highland School Rd	Sanford	27332	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 498-3331	762	50	15.3	63.9%	318 (41.7%)	135 (17.7%)	222 (29.1%)	9 (1.2%)	4 (0.5%)	5 (0.7%)	69 (9.1%)	36.9	495^th of 773 public middle schools	36.0%		39.6	490^th of 793 public middle schools	38.2%	5	54.9	43.6	38.9	43.1	37.9	47.6	58.5	$7,358	$539	$6,819
Western Harnett Middle	Public	6-8	11135 NC Hwy 27 West	Lillington	27546	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 499-4497	700	46	15.3	55.6%	330 (47.1%)	128 (18.3%)	176 (25.1%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (8.4%)	38.6	477^th of 773 public middle schools	38.3%		45.4	434^th of 793 public middle schools	45.3%	43	57.5	55.2	40.5	44.5	44.4	42.9	47.2	$8,179	$745	$7,434
Overhills Middle	Public	6-8	2711 Ray Road	Spring Lake	28390	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 436-0009	758	48	15.7	63.1%	210 (27.7%)	287 (37.9%)	163 (21.5%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	9 (1.2%)	79 (10.4%)	32.6	524^th of 773 public middle schools	32.2%		31.5	554^th of 793 public middle schools	30.1%	30	46.9	36.4	38.5	43.8	40.6	50.2	54.1	$7,678	$612	$7,065
Ascend Leadership Remote Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-8	283 Harvey Faulk Rd	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(919) 842-5411	27				14 (51.9%)	4 (14.8%)	4 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (18.5%)								(n/a)		43.8	6.3		43.8	31.3	50.0
Spring Lake Middle	Public	6-8	612 Spring Avenue	Spring Lake	28390	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 497-1175	500	36	13.9	98.8%	45 (9.0%)	314 (62.8%)	85 (17.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	49 (9.8%)	21.5	623^rd of 773 public middle schools	19.4%		24.2	625^th of 793 public middle schools	21.2%	2	32.9	38.9	26.7	43.9	41.7	36.0	44.2	$9,881	$1,613	$8,268
East Lee Middle	Public	6-8	1337 Broadway Rd	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 776-8441	526	34	15.4	97.5%	148 (28.1%)	111 (21.1%)	233 (44.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.1%)	19.1	645^th of 773 public middle schools	16.6%		28.2	577^th of 793 public middle schools	27.2%	68	39.0	44.4	25.1	35.3	36.3	36.8	36.6	$8,028	$700	$7,329
SanLee Middle School	Public	6-8	2309 Tramway Rd	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 708-7227	792	52	15.2	99.6%	234 (29.5%)	154 (19.4%)	361 (45.6%)	9 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.2%)	55.3	324^th of 773 public middle schools	58.1%		52.7	364^th of 793 public middle schools	54.1%	40	64.6	47.1	47.1	53.1	51.8	55.5	65.0	$7,599	$701	$6,898
Pine Forest Middle	Public	6-8	6901 Ramsey Street	Fayetteville	28311	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 488-2711	703	47	14.9	59.6%	199 (28.3%)	291 (41.4%)	116 (16.5%)	19 (2.7%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	71 (10.1%)	54.3	335^th of 773 public middle schools	56.7%		45.2	436^th of 793 public middle schools	45.0%	101	44.4	46.3	46.4	59.3	53.7	64.2	66.4	$8,355	$972	$7,383
Crain's Creek Middle	Public	6-8	4631 Union Church Rd	Carthage	28327	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 245-3796	481	31	15.6	99.4%	256 (53.2%)	106 (22.0%)	69 (14.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.6%)	47.3	414^th of 773 public middle schools	46.4%		55.6	328^th of 793 public middle schools	58.6%	86	57.1	43.8	34.4	55.8	51.4	52.5	60.9	$9,638	$999	$8,640
West Lee Middle	Public	6-8	3301 Wicker St	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 775-7351	522	38	13.7	96.9%	102 (19.5%)	97 (18.6%)	287 (55.0%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.7%)	29.2	553^rd of 773 public middle schools	28.5%		16.1	697^th of 793 public middle schools	12.1%	144	41.6	38.6	38.1	41.9	43.7	49.7	40.9	$8,316	$876	$7,440

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Middle

What high school do graduates of Highland Middle attend?

Students who attend Highland Middle usually go on to attend Western Harnett High

What is the racial makeup of Highland Middle?

Students at Highland Middle are 42% White, 29% Hispanic, 18% African American, 9% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Highland Middle in?

Harnett County Schools

How many students attend Highland Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 762 students attended Highland Middle.

Is Highland Middle a good school?

Highland Middle ranks 495^th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Highland Middle!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.