Summary
Carnage Middle is a public middle school in Raleigh, NC, serving about 924 students in grades 6–8 as part of Wake County Schools. For 2025–2026, the school ranked 120th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools (85th percentile, 4 stars), placing it in the top 15% statewide and among the stronger middle schools in its immediate Raleigh cluster—behind only Moore Square Middle and Martin Middle, while many nearby schools such as Carroll Middle and North Garner Middle rank far lower.
Carnage posts impressive academic results in core subjects. In 2025–2026 EOG testing, roughly 72% of students scored proficient in math and 73% in reading—well above the Wake County district averages of 67% and 66%, respectively, and far above state averages near 56%. Chronic absenteeism is also a standout strength: only 13.7% of students missed significant school time, compared with 20.5% across the district, 24.2% statewide, and rates above 30% at several nearby schools. One relative soft spot is 8th-grade science, where Carnage’s 71.6% proficiency exceeds the state average but trails the district’s 76.3%; meanwhile, high-performing neighbors like Oberlin Middle posted higher science scores. This may be a cohort effect, as Carnage outperformed the district in science in prior years.
Beneath the strong overall numbers, however, lie notable equity gaps. When students are compared only to same-group peers statewide, African American, Hispanic, low-income, special education, and homeless students at Carnage rank near the bottom (1-star or 0-star ratings), while Asian, white, and multiracial students rank very high. Similarly, the gifted and talented subgroup has dropped from the 99th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 69th percentile in 2025–2026. The school serves a mixed-income population—about 30.8% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, mirroring nearby high-performing schools such as Ligon Middle—but its success is not evenly shared across all students. Strengthening support for underserved groups while preserving Carnage’s excellent attendance and academic culture would make its achievements far more comprehensive.
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