Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

West Pender Middle

Public Grades 6-8

669^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 13% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

West Pender Middle is a public middle school located in Burgaw, North Carolina, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 188 students. The school is part of the Pender County Schools district, which is ranked 115 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and is rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

West Pender Middle has consistently underperformed compared to the Pender County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in terms of academic proficiency. The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with female, White, and English Language Learner students performing particularly poorly compared to their peers. Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio, West Pender Middle's academic performance lags behind nearby schools like Cape Fear Middle and Burgaw Middle, which are also part of the Pender County Schools district.

The school's extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, reaching nearly 100% in recent years, indicates a high concentration of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. This may require additional resources and targeted interventions to support student learning and well-being. West Pender Middle's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past decade, suggesting that the school is struggling to keep pace with its peers.

209

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,639

Per pupil spending ?

97.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10750 NC Hwy 53 West
Burgaw, NC 28425

(910) 283-5626

District: Pender County Schools

Students who attend West Pender Middle usually attend:

High:	Pender Early College High
	Pender High

Feeder schools for West Pender Middle:

Elementary:

Malpass Corner Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.4%

African American:

32.1%

Hispanic:

29.7%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare West Pender Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 26th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (35% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg54%

669^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the Pender County Schools

115^th of 242Pender County 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
2025	17.4	669 of 773	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	704 of 793	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.5	553 of 784	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	684 of 786	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.6	522 of 741	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	581 of 737	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	629 of 691	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	21.2	561 of 694	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.0	485 of 692	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.9	523 of 705	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.8	510 of 627	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.7	394 of 673	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	54.8	364 of 662	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.6	430 of 648	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.5	438 of 640	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.9	405 of 630	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.0	335 of 620	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.9	308 of 606	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	58.9	276 of 598	53.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	466 of 546	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.9	462 of 560	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.9	292 of 559	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.6	520 of 550	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	38.0	313 of 533	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.8	481 of 519	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	478 of 494	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	35.2	339 of 504	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.8	435 of 475	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	304 of 371	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.3	125 of 312	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	682 of 733	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	701 of 738	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	36.5	462 of 731	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.6	640 of 733	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	491 of 706	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.1	542 of 684	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	605 of 656	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	19.2	436 of 452	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	504 of 562	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	437 of 564	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.9	317 of 553	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	311 of 541	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.5	174 of 522	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	123 of 493	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	41.0	301 of 472	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	71.2	14 of 71	80.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.9	564 of 729	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	627 of 743	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.2	412 of 735	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	530 of 689	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.6	373 of 633	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	351 of 639	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.3	495 of 604	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	566 of 733	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	613 of 751	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	560 of 747	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.8	640 of 748	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.7	504 of 711	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	566 of 697	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	607 of 665	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	25.0	402 of 473	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	571 of 649	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	619 of 652	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	547 of 656	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	606 of 658	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	552 of 632	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	568 of 624	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	578 of 596	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2019)80th percentile+59 vs school

Disabled (2019)33rd percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)18th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2024)15th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)15th percentile~ school

White (2025)12th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)7th percentile-6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2023)4th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science48%-12 vs state

Mathematics33%-20 vs state

Reading33%-20 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate West Pender Middle and help other families decide.

Rate West Pender Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near West Pender Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
West Pender Middle	Public	6-8	10750 NC Hwy 53 West	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 283-5626	209	17	12.2	97.6%	72 (34.4%)	67 (32.1%)	62 (29.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)	17.4	669^th of 773 public middle schools	13.5%		15.5	704^th of 793 public middle schools	11.2%	35	38.4	35.4	24.6	30.1	36.9	31.9	47.8	$11,639	$998	$10,642
Burgaw Middle	Public	6-8	500 South Wright Street	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 259-0149	236	23	10.2	97.9%	99 (41.9%)	76 (32.2%)	50 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.2%)	20.4	633^rd of 773 public middle schools	18.1%		16	699^th of 793 public middle schools	11.9%	66	40.3	29.2	23.3	42.9	27.7	35.6	53.4	$12,822	$1,614	$11,208
Cape Fear Middle	Public	6-8	1886 NC Hwy 133	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 602-3334	430	32	13.4	99.1%	199 (46.3%)	36 (8.4%)	163 (37.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.0%)	48.5	397^th of 773 public middle schools	48.6%		51.3	382^nd of 793 public middle schools	51.8%	15	58.0	54.4	55.3	37.7	40.4	59.1	57.2	$8,993	$959	$8,034
Holly Shelter Middle	Public	6-8	3921 Roger Haynes Dr	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 602-4046	801	53	15.0	99.1%	377 (47.1%)	160 (20.0%)	191 (23.8%)	19 (2.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (6.2%)	60	285^th of 773 public middle schools	63.1%		68.2	221^st of 793 public middle schools	72.1%	64	53.3	54.1	58.5	49.0	55.2	62.0	70.9	$10,215	$1,188	$9,026

Frequently Asked Questions about West Pender Middle

What high school do graduates of West Pender Middle attend?

Students who attend West Pender Middle usually go on to attend Pender Early College High

What is the racial makeup of West Pender Middle?

Students at West Pender Middle are 34% White, 32% African American, 30% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is West Pender Middle in?

Pender County Schools

Is West Pender Middle a good school?

West Pender Middle ranks in the bottom 13.5% of North Carolina middle schools.

How many students attend West Pender Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 209 students attended West Pender Middle.

Rate West Pender Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Burgaw, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for West Pender Middle!

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.