Summary
A L Stanback Middle is a public middle school in Hillsborough, NC, serving about 648 students in grades 6–8 as part of Orange County Schools. The school holds a 2-star rating and ranks at the 42nd percentile statewide (#449 out of 778 North Carolina middle schools) in the most recent cycle, a step down from the prior year’s 52nd percentile. About 57.7% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it in a moderate-to-high poverty context relative to some district neighbors.
Academically, the clearest bright spot is 8th-grade math, where 59.3% of students are proficient, beating the state average by over 6 points. But most other tested subjects trail both state and district averages. Reading is a persistent weakness, with roughly half of students in grades 6–8 not meeting grade-level standards. Science also slipped significantly, from 69.2% proficiency a year earlier to 62.1% in the latest year. For context, nearby Orange Middle outperforms Stanback in every tested subject and grade, while Gravelly Hill Middle, with a nearly identical free-lunch rate, earns a higher overall ranking thanks to stronger sixth-grade math, reading, and eighth-grade science scores.
Results for students vary widely by subgroup. White students at Stanback rank at the 76th percentile statewide, and multi-racial students reach the 59th percentile, but Hispanic students, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students rank at the 13th, 13th, and 22nd percentiles, respectively. In the latest year, low-income and ELL outcomes declined, and African American students saw a one-year drop from the 72nd to 42nd percentile. Chronic absenteeism sits at 23%, better than the district average of 25.3% but above the 13–18% rates seen at nearby high-performing schools like Culbreth Middle or Smith Middle. It is also worth noting that several high-poverty Durham schools, including Lakewood Montessori Middle and Rogers-Herr Middle, rank in the 80th percentile or higher despite serving populations with over 99% free-lunch eligibility, demonstrating that strong outcomes are achievable even in high-poverty communities.
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