Burgaw Middle

Burgaw Middle is a small rural middle school in Burgaw, North Carolina, serving approximately 236 students in grades 6 through 8, with nearly all students (about 98%) coming from economically disadvantaged households. The school is part of Pender County Schools and currently holds a 1-star rating, ranking in the 14th percentile of North Carolina middle schools — well below both district and state averages. This represents a significant decline from the late 2010s, when Burgaw Middle ranked closer to the 44th percentile, and recent years show no sign of a sustained recovery.

The most striking concern at Burgaw Middle is chronic absenteeism. In 2024-2025, 40.7% of students were chronically absent — the highest rate among nearby middle schools, and nearly double the district average of 24.5%. For comparison, Cape Fear Middle, a school in the same district with an almost identical poverty rate, had a chronic absenteeism rate of just 21.7% and ranked in the 38th percentile overall. Academic proficiency at Burgaw Middle also trails far behind district and state averages; for example, only 33.8% of 8th graders were proficient in math and just 30.8% were proficient in reading, compared to roughly 60% and 57% across the district, respectively.

What makes these outcomes particularly notable is that Burgaw Middle spends more per student ($12,822) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (10.2) than nearby schools, including Topsail Middle and Emma B. Trask Middle. Despite those advantages, proficiency rates have been unstable from year to year, with no subject showing steady improvement. The data suggests that the school's urgent priorities should be improving attendance to around the district average and providing consistent academic support at every grade level. For parents, this means recognizing that while the school has resources in place, helping ensure consistent attendance may be the single most important factor in a child's success at Burgaw Middle.