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Swift Creek Middle

Q: Is Swift Creek Middle a good school?

Swift Creek Middle ranks 297 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

297^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 62% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Swift Creek Middle is a middle school in Clayton, North Carolina, serving 691 students in grades 6–8 as part of Johnston County Public Schools. In 2025–2026, it ranked 297th among the state's 778 middle schools, placing it at the 62nd percentile with a 3-star rating — a consistent mid-tier performance, with rankings between the 57th and 66th percentiles in recent years. Within its local cluster, Swift Creek sits in the upper-middle tier: schools such as The Innovation Academy at South Campus, McGee's Crossroads Middle, Cleveland Middle, and Archer Lodge Middle rank ahead, while Riverwood Middle, Clayton Middle, and others in the area rank behind.

Math is the school's clearest academic strength. In every tested grade, math proficiency at Swift Creek exceeded both the district and state averages. Reading results are more uneven: 6th and 8th graders trail their district peers, and 8th grade reading falls just below the state average. Science shows a similar pattern, with 8th grade proficiency at 65.9% — below the district's 70.8% and well behind strong showings at nearby schools like McGee's Crossroads Middle (78.4%) and Cleveland Middle (77.7%). In short, math supports the school's overall ranking, while weaker reading and science outcomes keep it from moving higher.

Attendance stands out as the school's biggest challenge. Swift Creek's chronic absenteeism rate reached 31.7% in 2024–2025, up sharply from 24.1% the year before and well above the district rate of 21.8%. Higher-performing nearby schools post far better attendance, mostly in the range of 15% to 19%. The school serves a nearly universal low-income population, with 99.28% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch; its neighbors are similar in that regard, which suggests school practices and attendance — not poverty — drive the differences in outcomes. Subgroup results are mixed but encouraging in places: Hispanic and multi-racial students earn strong effectiveness ratings, while English Learner and special education students receive 2-star results that deserve attention. Overall, Swift Creek is a solid, mid-tier school with genuine strengths in math and realistic room to improve in reading, science, and attendance.

691

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

325 Norris Rd
Clayton, NC 27520

(919) 262-0750

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.3%

Hispanic:

31.1%

African American:

14.6%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Swift Creek Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2019 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2019

✓Above the North Carolina median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% North Carolina)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg58%

297^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 14 pts since 2019

From bottom 48% (2019) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

98^th of 246Johnston County Public 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
2026	60.1	297 of 778	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.0	316 of 773	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	269 of 793	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.3	341 of 784	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.1	202 of 786	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	49.4	358 of 741	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.1	384 of 737	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	254 of 553	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.1	205 of 546	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.0	119 of 560	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	46.6	265 of 559	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	151 of 550	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	40.1	298 of 533	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.6	258 of 519	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.8	236 of 494	52.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	56.8	112 of 449	75.1%	★★★★☆
2021	48.2	201 of 478	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.3	293 of 504	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	375 of 475	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.5	229 of 363	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.7	180 of 371	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.5	269 of 356	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.4	200 of 318	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	198 of 312	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	209 of 236	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.4	193 of 211	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.1	311 of 731	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.5	326 of 733	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.2	252 of 738	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	365 of 731	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.4	201 of 733	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	51.5	325 of 706	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	375 of 684	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.0	395 of 656	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	200 of 465	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.5	110 of 458	76.0%	★★★★☆
2024	66.4	130 of 461	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.2	151 of 452	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.0	144 of 450	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	236 of 448	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.0	240 of 416	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	75.7	5 of 127	96.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	158 of 566	72.1%	★★★★☆
2025	44.8	304 of 562	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.6	354 of 564	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	325 of 553	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.3	172 of 541	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.6	308 of 522	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.2	355 of 493	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.8	269 of 472	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	297 of 725	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.6	276 of 729	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	299 of 743	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.7	335 of 735	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.0	174 of 689	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	48.2	294 of 633	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.9	394 of 639	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.6	399 of 604	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.8	272 of 736	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.5	296 of 733	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.4	268 of 751	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.8	301 of 747	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.3	199 of 748	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	45.9	373 of 711	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.6	382 of 697	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.8	336 of 665	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	59 of 67	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	100 of 333	70.0%	★★★★☆
2025	86.1	30 of 328	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	43.5	174 of 306	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.7	199 of 302	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	76.1	39 of 283	86.2%	★★★★☆
2021	35.4	166 of 248	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.3	210 of 237	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	210 of 221	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	341 of 500	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.2	214 of 478	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.5	155 of 473	67.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.7	287 of 644	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.3	264 of 649	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.2	184 of 652	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	53.8	284 of 656	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.2	173 of 658	73.7%	★★★★☆
2021	48.5	304 of 632	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.7	308 of 624	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	334 of 596	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)75th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)72nd percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)70th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)63rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)57th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)55th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2026)54th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)37th percentile-25 vs school

Special Education (2026)32nd percentile-30 vs school

Military Connected (2026)12th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science66%-3 vs state

Mathematics64%+8 vs state

Reading56%~ state avg

3.0

2 ratings

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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Schools Near Swift Creek Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Swift Creek Middle	Public	6-8	325 Norris Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 262-0750	691	45	15.5	99.3%	334 (48.3%)	101 (14.6%)	215 (31.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.2%)	60.1	297^th of 778 public middle schools	61.8%		56	316^th of 773 public middle schools	59.1%	19	66.7	66.5	58.7	55.1	58.7	55.6	65.9	$8,637	$480	$8,156
Cleveland Middle	Public	6-8	2323 Cornwallis Road	Garner	27529	Wake County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-7500	936	51	18.4	99.7%	439 (46.9%)	215 (23.0%)	193 (20.6%)	26 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (6.5%)	68.1	220^th of 778 public middle schools	71.7%		66	242^nd of 773 public middle schools	68.7%	22	59.8	59.1	68.9	59.8	63.9	63.7	77.7	$7,527	$410	$7,117
Clayton Middle	Public	6-8	490 Guy Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-5811	609	38	16.0	96.2%	169 (27.8%)	170 (27.9%)	221 (36.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.1%)	49.1	405^th of 778 public middle schools	47.9%		48.6	395^th of 773 public middle schools	48.9%	10	55.4	50.0	45.3	51.9	56.8	58.5	70.3	$9,361	$587	$8,774
McGee's Crossroads Middle	Public	6-8	13353 NC Highway 210	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-6003	757	42	18.0	98.9%	388 (51.3%)	93 (12.3%)	229 (30.3%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.3%)	70.4	205^th of 778 public middle schools	73.7%		63.4	258^th of 773 public middle schools	66.6%	53	66.1	61.6	62.6	62.9	61.2	68.5	78.4	$8,319	$639	$7,679
Smithfield Middle	Public	6-8	1455 Buffalo Rd	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-4696	573	44	13.1	98.8%	52 (9.1%)	176 (30.7%)	316 (55.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.4%)	18.8	660^th of 778 public middle schools	15.2%		18	659^th of 773 public middle schools	14.7%	1	44.6	33.6	29.9	43.3	41.3	38.9	46.9	$10,489	$1,415	$9,074
Riverwood Middle	Public	6-8	204 Athletic Club Blvd	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 359-2769	902	53	16.9	99.4%	393 (43.6%)	248 (27.5%)	182 (20.2%)	16 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	60 (6.7%)	54.9	352^nd of 778 public middle schools	54.8%		60.7	277^th of 773 public middle schools	64.2%	75	64.6	55.8	41.5	57.6	57.4	57.1	71.6	$7,553	$421	$7,132
The Innovation Academy at South Campus	Public	6-8	521 Martin Luther King Dr	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-6481	263	18	14.4	98.5%	134 (51.0%)	41 (15.6%)	68 (25.9%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.5%)	93.3	39^th of 778 public middle schools	95.0%		94.6	37^th of 773 public middle schools	95.2%	2	82.8	93.5	72.5	83.9	90.2	84.6	86.8	$8,168	$360	$7,808
Four Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	1475 Boyette Road	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 963-4022	477	31	15.3	98.1%	235 (49.3%)	66 (13.8%)	152 (31.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.6%)	60.6	292^nd of 778 public middle schools	62.5%		61.6	270^th of 773 public middle schools	65.1%	22	61.7	50.0	71.8	52.5	47.0	64.4	84.6	$9,812	$944	$8,868
Archer Lodge Middle	Public	6-8	762 Wendell Rd	Wendell	27591	Wake County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-0714	1,204	64	18.7	99.8%	641 (53.2%)	203 (16.9%)	283 (23.5%)	13 (1.1%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (4.9%)	67.9	221^st of 778 public middle schools	71.6%		75.3	166^th of 773 public middle schools	78.5%	55	67.9	69.8	59.2	61.1	65.3	60.8	69.4	$7,395	$351	$7,044
East Garner Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	6301 Jones Sausage Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 662-2339	1,109	71	15.6	99.7%	148 (13.3%)	514 (46.3%)	355 (32.0%)	51 (4.6%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	34 (3.1%)	28.5	575^th of 778 public middle schools	26.1%		34.1	516^th of 773 public middle schools	33.2%	59	47.8	40.5	39.3	45.5	46.9	42.2	57.4	$8,808	$540	$8,269

Frequently Asked Questions about Swift Creek Middle

What is the racial makeup of Swift Creek Middle?

Students at Swift Creek Middle are 48% White, 31% Hispanic, 15% African American, 5% Two or more races.

Is Swift Creek Middle a good school?

Swift Creek Middle ranks 297^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Swift Creek Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 691 students attended Swift Creek Middle.

What district is Swift Creek Middle in?

Johnston County Public Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.