Martin County High

Martin County High is a traditional public high school in Williamston, NC, serving 752 students in grades 9–12 as part of Martin County Schools. Nearly every student (99.6%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, making clear the school serves a community with very high economic need. Academically, End-of-Course proficiency rates sit below state averages: English II is 41.6% vs. 64.6% statewide, Biology is 37.7% vs. 58.5%, and Math III is 26.4% vs. 68.9%. The clearest bright spot is the graduation rate — 92.5%, above the state's roughly 88%.

That graduation rate exceeds nearby traditional high schools like Washington High (86.0%), Washington County High (79.7%), and North Pitt High (73.2%). Martin County High also shows a real strength in serving English Learner students — earning 4 stars and placing in the 76th percentile statewide for that subgroup — even as overall school performance sits in the bottom 15%. The biggest academic concern is Math III: proficiency fell from 39.3% to 26.4% in one year and trails every neighboring school. The student-teacher ratio of 23.3 is also the highest in the area, above Washington High's 22.0, North Pitt High's 16.1, and Washington County High's 13.9.

Chronic absenteeism runs at 32.7% — above the state's 24.2% but below Washington High and far below Washington County High's 44.5%. Encouragingly, Biology proficiency improved sharply from 26.4% to 37.7% over the past year. When comparing this school, it's most fair to measure it against other rural traditional high schools in the region rather than specialized options like Bear Grass Charter School or NERSBA Early College, both of which post far higher test scores. In short, Martin County High graduates students at rates that beat the state while test scores lag — a contradiction that points to genuine strengths in persistence and ELL support, but substantial academic challenges, particularly in math, that need long-term attention.