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H J MacDonald Middle

Q: Is H J MacDonald Middle a good school?

H J MacDonald Middle ranks 358 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

358^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 54% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

H J MacDonald Middle in New Bern, NC, serves 632 students in grades 6–8 as part of the Craven County Board of Education, operating in a high-poverty community where roughly 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has earned a 3-star rating, ranking in the 54th percentile of North Carolina middle schools — a steady climb from the 47th percentile two years earlier — and it now sits above the district overall, which ranks in the 42nd percentile of NC districts.

Despite serving almost exclusively economically disadvantaged students, H J MacDonald posts proficiency rates near state averages in most subjects. Its strongest showing is in 6th grade, where students actually matched or slightly exceeded nearby Grover C Fields Middle in math and reading — even though Grover C Fields has a far lower poverty rate (46% vs. 99%). By 8th grade, however, the gap widens: math proficiency falls from 68.4% in 6th grade to 46.7%, well below both the district (49.5%) and state (53.0%) averages. Science proficiency at 8th grade also trails the state. Perhaps the most telling comparison is with West Craven Middle, which serves a nearly identical student population. H J MacDonald outperforms West Craven by roughly 24 percentage points across all subjects — about 58% proficiency versus 34% — demonstrating that similar demographics can produce very different academic results.

Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, falling from 39.1% in 2020–2021 to 24% in 2024–2025, now matching the state average. Progress among student subgroups has also been encouraging: African American students jumped from the 33rd to the 60th percentile statewide in two years, with similar gains for Hispanic, low-income, and special education students. English Learner support is a notable strength, ranking in the 71st percentile, and military-connected students performed well too. The school also maintains a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 14.3. While 8th-grade math is clearly the school's biggest challenge, H J MacDonald's upward trajectory, improving attendance, and strong 6th-grade foundation make it a school worth watching — and one that proves high poverty does not inevitably lead to low achievement.

632

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3127 Elizabeth Avenue
New Bern, NC 28562-2509

(252) 514-6450

District: Craven County Board of Education

Students who attend H J MacDonald Middle usually attend:

High:

New Bern High

Feeder schools for H J MacDonald Middle:

Elementary:	Albert H Bangert Elementary
	Ben D. Quinn Elementary
	J.T. Barber Elementary
	Trent Park Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

35.0%

White:

26.9%

Hispanic:

14.1%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare H J MacDonald Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 32nd percentile in 2019 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 54th (2026) from a 32nd-percentile low (2019)

✓Above the North Carolina median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg58%

358^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From top 37% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

142^nd of 246Craven County Board of Education 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	54.0	358 of 778	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.8	372 of 773	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.9	423 of 793	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	409 of 784	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.3	449 of 786	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.2	401 of 741	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	498 of 737	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	387 of 691	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	70.3	190 of 694	72.6%	★★★★☆
2016	61.8	257 of 692	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.0	267 of 705	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.3	269 of 627	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.9	181 of 673	73.1%	★★★★☆
2012	59.5	314 of 662	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.0	270 of 648	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.5	314 of 640	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.0	237 of 630	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.3	235 of 620	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.7	240 of 606	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.4	327 of 598	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.1	221 of 553	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.0	254 of 546	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.2	376 of 560	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	323 of 559	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.2	313 of 550	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.9	341 of 533	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.8	414 of 519	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.0	309 of 494	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	93 of 121	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.0	87 of 111	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	96 of 110	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	93 of 110	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	95 of 109	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.4	83 of 99	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.5	93 of 102	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	35.2	72 of 95	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	43.7	201 of 449	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.7	198 of 478	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	23.5	451 of 504	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	335 of 475	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.2	107 of 363	70.5%	★★★★☆
2025	55.7	99 of 371	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	63.9	62 of 356	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	62.4	55 of 318	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	47.2	129 of 312	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.4	43 of 236	81.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	304 of 731	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.1	301 of 733	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.1	409 of 738	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	418 of 731	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.7	426 of 733	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.5	367 of 706	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	476 of 684	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	390 of 656	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.0	158 of 465	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.2	64 of 458	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	52.6	283 of 461	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.6	422 of 452	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	412 of 450	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.0	342 of 448	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	400 of 416	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.4	263 of 566	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.2	374 of 562	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	308 of 564	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	301 of 553	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	277 of 541	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.4	153 of 522	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	32.4	371 of 493	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.2	224 of 472	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	56.8	25 of 71	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.8	316 of 725	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.4	379 of 729	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	453 of 743	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.9	445 of 735	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	442 of 689	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	340 of 633	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.1	402 of 639	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.3	277 of 604	54.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.6	393 of 736	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.1	396 of 733	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	398 of 751	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.6	383 of 747	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.5	439 of 748	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.8	402 of 711	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.9	492 of 697	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.1	383 of 665	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	66.3	19 of 64	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	30.8	37 of 48	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.9	30 of 45	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.6	203 of 333	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	150 of 328	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.9	194 of 306	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	195 of 302	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.8	135 of 283	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.5	61 of 248	75.4%	★★★★☆
2019	52.5	99 of 237	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.1	181 of 221	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.1	172 of 500	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.6	359 of 478	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.6	267 of 473	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.6	183 of 644	71.6%	★★★★☆
2025	67.9	197 of 649	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.5	188 of 652	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	61.2	237 of 656	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.0	313 of 658	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.8	252 of 632	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.2	354 of 624	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.8	203 of 596	65.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)72nd percentile+18 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)71st percentile+17 vs school

Military Connected (2025)70th percentile+18 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)66th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2026)66th percentile+12 vs school

Homeless (2019)65th percentile+32 vs school

African American (2026)60th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)58th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)55th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)54th percentile~ school

Male (2026)47th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)39th percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2026)23rd percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science64%-4 vs state

Mathematics58%~ state avg

Reading56%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near H J MacDonald 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
H J MacDonald Middle	Public	6-8	3127 Elizabeth Avenue	New Bern	28562	Craven County	Craven County Board of Education	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 514-6450	632	44	14.3	99.2%	170 (26.9%)	221 (35.0%)	89 (14.1%)	88 (13.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	61 (9.7%)	54	358^th of 778 public middle schools	54.0%		51.8	372^nd of 773 public middle schools	51.9%	14	68.4	58.1	46.7	56.5	55.6	55.6	64.5	$8,411	$928	$7,483
Grover C Fields Middle	Public	6-8	2000 M L King Jr Boulevard	New Bern	28560	Craven County	Craven County Board of Education	No	No	No	No	(252) 514-6438	542	34	15.9	46.1%	302 (55.7%)	87 (16.1%)	89 (16.4%)	27 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (6.5%)	67.2	227^th of 778 public middle schools	70.8%		72.9	183^rd of 773 public middle schools	76.3%	44	67.6	67.9	66.5	55.3	67.3	61.8	66.5	$9,793	$1,127	$8,666
West Craven Middle	Public	6-8	515 NW Craven Middle School Rd	New Bern	28532	Craven County	Craven County Board of Education	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 514-6488	614	35	17.3	97.6%	257 (41.9%)	190 (30.9%)	110 (17.9%)	9 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (7.3%)	11.7	710^th of 778 public middle schools	8.7%		23.2	606^th of 773 public middle schools	21.6%	104	41.8	24.7	27.0	34.2	35.8	33.0	40.2	$8,848	$1,103	$7,746
Tucker Creek Middle	Public	6-8	200 Sermons Boulevard	Havelock	28532	Craven County	Craven County Board of Education	No	No	No	No	(252) 444-7200	478	30	15.8	44.6%	293 (61.3%)	51 (10.7%)	80 (16.7%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (9.8%)	84.8	93^rd of 778 public middle schools	88.0%		83.1	110^th of 773 public middle schools	85.8%	17	78.7	73.7	73.7	67.7	68.4	73.7	87.9	$9,904	$667	$9,237
Pamlico County Middle	Public	6-8	15526 NC Hwy 55 East	Bayboro	28515	Pamlico County	Pamlico County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 745-4061	242	23	10.7	98.8%	141 (58.3%)	47 (19.4%)	28 (11.6%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.3%)	46.3	427^th of 778 public middle schools	45.1%		51.9	369^th of 773 public middle schools	52.3%	58	58.1	65.6	36.3	46.8	52.2	50.0	68.8	$19,561	$364	$19,196

Frequently Asked Questions about H J MacDonald Middle

What district is H J MacDonald Middle in?

Craven County Board of Education

What high school do graduates of H J MacDonald Middle attend?

Students who attend H J MacDonald Middle usually go on to attend New Bern High

Is H J MacDonald Middle a good school?

H J MacDonald Middle ranks 358^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend H J MacDonald Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 632 students attended H J MacDonald Middle.

What is the racial makeup of H J MacDonald Middle?

Students at H J MacDonald Middle are 35% African American, 27% White, 14% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 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.