Lakewood High

Lakewood High is a traditional public high school in Salemburg, NC, serving about 475 students in grades 9–12 as part of Sampson County Schools, and nearly all of its students (96.8%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school holds a 2-star state rating and ranks in the 36th percentile of North Carolina high schools, placing it above Union High, Hobbton High, and Clinton High, but below Midway High and Cape Fear High.

There are several bright spots for parents to consider. Graduation rates have climbed from 71.7% in 2021-22 to 82.3% in 2025-26, and chronic absenteeism has fallen dramatically from 56.1% in 2020-21 to 26.3% in 2024-25—nearly matching the district rate of 25.3% and the state rate of 24.2%. End-of-course results are more mixed: English II proficiency (58.0%) and Biology (43.4%) trail state averages, while Math I (42.6%) basically matches the state average—a remarkable jump from 17.3% the prior year. Lakewood also operates with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 15.8:1, lower than every nearby high school, which can mean more individual attention for students.

The most instructive comparison may be Midway High, a school in the same district with a nearly identical student-income profile that nonetheless achieves stronger academic outcomes and a much lower chronic absenteeism rate (15.8%)—clear evidence that high poverty does not predetermine low results. One concern worth noting: Lakewood's special education students fell from the 50th percentile statewide in 2023-24 to the 3rd percentile in 2025-26, a sharp drop that likely deserves close administrative review. On the positive side, English Language Learner students rank at the 79th percentile and African American students at the 59th percentile, revealing real strengths in serving historically underserved groups.