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

Surf City Middle

Q: Is Surf City Middle a good school?

Surf City Middle ranks 146 th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

146^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 81% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Surf City Middle is a public middle school located in Hampstead, North Carolina, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 750 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.

Surf City Middle consistently outperforms the Pender County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in standardized test scores across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Surf City Middle had significantly higher proficiency rates in Mathematics compared to the district and the state. The school also performs exceptionally well across various student subgroups, ranking highly in the state for female students, male students, African American students, Hispanic students, and multi-racial students. Additionally, Surf City Middle has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 18.14% in 2021-2022 to 23.87% in 2023-2024, which is significantly lower than the nearby Cape Fear Middle.

Surf City Middle's consistent academic excellence, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years, suggests a strong academic program and effective teaching practices. The school's focus on equity and inclusive practices ensures that all students have the opportunity to succeed. While Surf City Middle outperforms the Pender County Schools district and the state, the nearby Topsail Middle also performs well, ranking 113th out of 773 North Carolina middle schools in 2024-2025, indicating a strong educational environment in the local area.

752

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,848

Per pupil spending ?

21.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12345-B Literacy Lane
Hampstead, NC 28443

(910) 928-0087

District: Pender County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.6%

Hispanic:

8.1%

Two or more races:

6.6%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Surf City Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 79th percentile in 2019 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (68% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of North Carolina middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg54%

146^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	78.5	146 of 773	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	81.6	118 of 793	85.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	139 of 784	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	81.8	130 of 786	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	79.1	142 of 741	80.8%	★★★★☆
2019	75.6	154 of 737	79.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	69.3	110 of 559	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.9	121 of 550	78.0%	★★★★☆
2021	53.0	184 of 533	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	66.9	71 of 449	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	68.4	64 of 478	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.2	68 of 504	86.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	82.6	103 of 733	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	78.8	135 of 738	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	146 of 731	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	81.4	120 of 733	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	76.4	145 of 706	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.4	214 of 684	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.6	279 of 458	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.6	205 of 461	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.1	115 of 452	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	55.9	246 of 450	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	72.9	76 of 448	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	61.6	174 of 416	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.9	97 of 562	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	67.4	124 of 564	78.0%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	111 of 553	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	67.7	122 of 541	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	73.2	73 of 522	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	54.7	183 of 493	62.9%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	58.0	24 of 71	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	103 of 729	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	72.3	128 of 743	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	60.1	247 of 735	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.0	135 of 689	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	76.7	81 of 633	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	78.7	77 of 639	87.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.6	173 of 733	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	81.3	111 of 751	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.0	128 of 747	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	80.1	128 of 748	82.9%	★★★★☆
2021	79.2	128 of 711	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	111 of 697	84.1%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	56.0	28 of 64	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.5	14 of 58	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	6 of 54	88.9%	★★★★★
2022	80.3	5 of 58	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	74.2	8 of 57	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	87.6	2 of 48	95.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	75.5	59 of 328	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	73.7	63 of 306	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.8	70 of 302	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	70.8	54 of 283	80.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.6	218 of 478	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.5	183 of 473	61.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	242 of 649	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.0	205 of 652	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	220 of 656	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.9	191 of 658	71.0%	★★★★☆
2021	63.6	206 of 632	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.5	251 of 624	59.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

Female (2025)86th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2022)84th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)83rd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)82nd percentile~ school

African American (2023)80th percentile~ school

Male (2025)76th percentile-5 vs school

Homeless (2019)66th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)63rd percentile-18 vs school

Military Connected (2025)56th percentile-25 vs school

Special Education (2025)54th percentile-27 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)39th percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics72%+19 vs state

Science67%+7 vs state

Reading64%+11 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Surf City Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Surf City 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 Surf City 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 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Surf City Middle	Public	6-8	12345-B Literacy Lane	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 928-0087	752	41	18.4	21.3%	621 (82.6%)	11 (1.5%)	61 (8.1%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	50 (6.6%)	78.5	146^th of 773 public middle schools	81.1%		81.6	118^th of 793 public middle schools	85.1%	28		79.3	74.1	64.5		65.7	62.4	63.0		66.8	$6,848	$445	$6,403
Topsail Middle	Public	5-8	17445 US Hwy 17	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-2612	837	45	18.6	20.1%	699 (83.5%)	21 (2.5%)	67 (8.0%)	8 (1.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (4.5%)	82.5	113^th of 773 public middle schools	85.4%		82.1	116^th of 793 public middle schools	85.4%	3	83.7	73.4	74.3	64.3	68.3	67.2	66.0	68.3	86.2	76.1	$8,344	$489	$7,855
Dixon Middle	Public	6-8	118 Ridgefield Ave	Sneads Ferry	28460	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-2738	997	54	18.4	34.3%	708 (71.0%)	52 (5.2%)	148 (14.8%)	8 (0.8%)	5 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	73 (7.3%)	62.2	267^th of 773 public middle schools	65.5%		62.5	271^st of 793 public middle schools	65.8%	4		60.2	52.4	54.1		57.1	57.9	58.8		68.3	$7,866	$808	$7,058
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Surf City Middle

What district is Surf City Middle in?

Pender County Schools

Is Surf City Middle a good school?

Surf City Middle ranks 146^th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Surf City Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 752 students attended Surf City Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Surf City Middle?

Students at Surf City Middle are 83% White, 8% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Rate Surf City Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Hampstead, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Surf City 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.