Four Oaks Middle

Four Oaks Middle serves about 477 students in grades 6–8 in Four Oaks, NC, a small town within Johnston County Public Schools. The school earns 3 stars and ranks 292nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools — the 62nd percentile statewide — a position that has held steady for three years and is a clear improvement from a decade ago, when it sat near the 28th percentile. Like nearly every school around it, the student body is almost entirely economically disadvantaged, with 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most striking pattern at Four Oaks Middle is the divide between grade levels. Eighth graders posted standout results in 2025–26: math proficiency hit 71.8% (versus 55.1% districtwide) and science reached 84.6%, trailing only The Innovation Academy at South Campus among nearby schools. Seventh graders, however, fell well below district and state averages, with 50% math proficiency and 47% reading proficiency. That 7th-grade weakness is essentially what separates Four Oaks from higher-ranked neighbors like Cleveland Middle and McGee's Crossroads Middle. In fact, Four Oaks beats McGee's Crossroads in 8th-grade math and science — but loses badly in 7th-grade reading and math.

Chronic absenteeism is the school's biggest non-academic concern. About 3 in 10 students are chronically absent each year, versus 21.8% across the district and 24.2% statewide. Stronger nearby schools post much lower rates — McGee's Crossroads at 16.6% and Cleveland at 18.6% — while lower-performing neighbors like Smithfield Middle and Selma Middle School report rates closer to or above Four Oaks'. The bright spots are worth noting: the school's results with Hispanic students rank at the 83rd percentile statewide, and 8th-grade science is among the best in the area. To move into the top tier, Four Oaks will need to close the 7th-grade gap, reduce absenteeism, and steady the year-to-year swings in outcomes across several student groups.