Summary
Hamlet Middle serves 399 students in grades 6–8 in Hamlet, NC, part of Richmond County Schools, a district ranked 188th of 246 in North Carolina. The school itself ranks 493rd of 778 North Carolina middle schools, placing it in the 37th percentile with a 2-star rating. That is a steady decline from the 52nd percentile in 2022-23. Essentially all of Hamlet’s students (99.25%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it a very high-poverty school. Locally, Hamlet lands in the middle: Ellerbe Middle (44th percentile) and Rockingham Middle (40th percentile) rank higher, while Cordova Middle (33rd), Spring Hill Middle (21st), and Carver Middle (12th) rank lower.
Academically, Hamlet shows a clear split between math and reading. In 2025-26, 6th grade math reached 62.6% proficiency, above the state average and every neighboring middle school. In 2024-25, 8th grade math hit 65.2% proficiency, far surpassing the state’s 48.7%. Reading is a concern, however: 8th grade reading proficiency was just 39.9% in 2025-26, more than 16 points below the state, and 7th grade reading was only 30.0% in 2024-25. Science scores have been inconsistent, above the state one year and well below the next. Hamlet also has a standout gifted and talented program, ranking in the 95th percentile statewide in 2024-25.
One of the school’s most pressing challenges is chronic absenteeism: 35.9% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, well above the district rate of 28.0% and state rate of 24.2%. Attendance also worsened from the prior year. Hamlet additionally spends less per student ($8,862) than all neighboring middle schools, several of which spend over $10,000, though this data is from 2018-19. Despite its challenges, Hamlet outperforms Spring Hill Middle and Carver Middle, both part of Scotland County Schools. The overall picture is mixed: strong math instruction and an excellent gifted program exist alongside weak reading scores, high absenteeism, and a recent downward trend. Improving attendance and reading performance will likely be key to reversing the school’s slide.
Thank you for your feedback!