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River Bend Middle

Public Grades 6-8

584^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 25% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

River Bend Middle is a large public school serving 995 students in grades 6–8 in eastern Raleigh, North Carolina, within the highly rated Wake County Schools district. Nearly all of its students (99.7%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it one of the highest-poverty middle schools in the area. Its closest and most comparable neighbors are East Millbrook Middle and Neuse River Middle, which share nearly identical poverty rates. Schools just a few miles away, such as Heritage Middle and Wakefield Middle, serve far wealthier populations and post considerably higher test scores.

The most striking development at River Bend is its broad academic improvement from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026. Eighth-grade math proficiency jumped from 19.7% to 45.0%, while eighth-grade science rose from 31.7% to 57.5%—gains that far outpaced its high-poverty peers. English Learner students now rank in the 75th percentile statewide, Gifted students in the 83rd, and African American students in the 56th, all well above the school's overall state standing. Chronic absenteeism (25.6%) is also much lower than at Neuse River (35.6%) or East Millbrook (32.5%), a notable strength given the school's high level of economic need.

River Bend also appears to be doing more with less. It spends $8,782 per student compared to $11,135 at East Millbrook and $10,715 at Neuse River, and it has a higher student-teacher ratio (16.0) than either school—yet its test scores now match or exceed both. Still, roughly 55–60% of students remain below grade level in math and reading, and the school continues to trail district and state averages. The key question is whether this year's surge marks a lasting turnaround or a one-time spike. For parents, River Bend looks like a school on an upward trajectory, with promising strengths in English Learner support, Gifted education, and attendance that are worth watching closely.

995

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5601 Wallace Martin Way
Raleigh, NC 27616

(919) 694-8690

District: Wake County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

44.2%

Hispanic:

39.4%

White:

7.6%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare River Bend Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2019 → 25th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg58%

584^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 9 pts since 2019

From bottom 16% (2019) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

60^th of 246Wake 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
2026	27.4	584 of 778	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.5	698 of 773	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	661 of 793	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	622 of 784	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.1	618 of 786	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	636 of 741	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	622 of 737	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	243 of 553	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.4	366 of 546	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	322 of 560	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.7	284 of 559	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.9	247 of 550	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.8	301 of 533	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.1	282 of 519	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.6	238 of 494	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	88 of 121	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	93 of 111	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.8	68 of 110	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.4	81 of 110	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	90 of 109	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	80 of 99	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	61.9	45 of 102	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.0	66 of 95	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	31.6	308 of 449	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.6	257 of 478	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.3	399 of 504	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	381 of 475	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	91 of 363	74.9%	★★★★☆
2025	23.6	325 of 371	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	272 of 356	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.1	210 of 318	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.1	228 of 312	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	197 of 211	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	150 of 151	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	600 of 731	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.9	687 of 733	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	659 of 738	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.6	646 of 731	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	627 of 733	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.0	634 of 706	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.7	571 of 684	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	555 of 656	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.2	78 of 465	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	43.1	356 of 458	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.0	411 of 461	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.7	224 of 452	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.8	370 of 450	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	80.7	11 of 448	97.5%	★★★★★
2019	51.2	267 of 416	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.5	102 of 127	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.8	412 of 566	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.1	528 of 562	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	488 of 564	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	477 of 553	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.6	476 of 541	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.7	490 of 522	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	471 of 493	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	447 of 472	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	20 of 59	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.3	27 of 44	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.7	14 of 50	72.0%	★★★★☆
2023	31.5	41 of 50	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	65.2	9 of 37	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	10.2	69 of 71	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.8	426 of 725	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.0	609 of 729	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	548 of 743	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	521 of 735	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	410 of 689	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.4	515 of 633	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	515 of 639	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	471 of 604	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	537 of 736	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.2	641 of 733	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	610 of 751	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	541 of 747	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	552 of 748	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	608 of 711	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.2	613 of 697	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	570 of 665	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.9	210 of 333	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.0	276 of 328	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	287 of 306	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	204 of 237	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	197 of 221	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	276 of 500	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.7	310 of 478	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	266 of 473	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	512 of 644	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	593 of 649	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	572 of 652	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.5	419 of 656	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.4	428 of 658	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.4	484 of 632	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.0	378 of 624	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	410 of 596	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)83rd percentile+58 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)75th percentile+50 vs school

Homeless (2026)66th percentile+41 vs school

African American (2026)56th percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2026)45th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile+16 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)37th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)31st percentile+10 vs school

Asian (2026)27th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile~ school

Male (2026)27th percentile~ school

White (2026)20th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science57%-11 vs state

Reading44%-12 vs state

Mathematics42%-14 vs state

4.8

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Wednesday, June 8, 2022

The administration at this school is amazing. Supportive of students, teachers and staff. Big on SEL, Restorative Practices and whole child teaching. Students are held accountable for grades and behavior. We are a new school and our population is ever growing. A great school for any teacher, student or staff. Close Quote

by a teacher
Thursday, November 21, 2019

The staff goes the extra mile to prepare students for the next level in education. Close Quote

Schools Near River Bend Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
River Bend Middle	Public	6-8	5601 Wallace Martin Way	Raleigh	27616	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-8690	995	62	16.0	99.7%	76 (7.6%)	440 (44.2%)	392 (39.4%)	48 (4.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	35 (3.5%)	27.4	584^th of 778 public middle schools	24.9%		13.5	698^th of 773 public middle schools	9.7%	114	40.7	40.8	45.0	41.1	45.5	44.9	57.5	$8,782	$962	$7,820
East Millbrook Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	3801 Spring Forest Rd	Raleigh	27616	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 850-8755	731	58	12.5	99.6%	87 (11.9%)	319 (43.6%)	271 (37.1%)	18 (2.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	31 (4.2%)	22.9	627^th of 778 public middle schools	19.4%		18.3	651^st of 773 public middle schools	15.8%	24	45.0	41.1	37.3	41.9	41.9	39.0	51.4	$11,135	$1,361	$9,773
Neuse River Middle	Public	6-8	2700 Old Milburnie Rd	Raleigh	27604	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 266-8500	877	64	13.8	99.7%	107 (12.2%)	286 (32.6%)	416 (47.4%)	29 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (4.1%)	19.3	656^th of 778 public middle schools	15.7%		17.6	663^rd of 773 public middle schools	14.2%	7	43.7	34.6	33.3	39.4	37.9	36.9	55.9	$10,715	$1,359	$9,355
Durant Road Middle	Public	6-8	10401 Durant Rd	Raleigh	27614	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 870-4098	649	41	15.7	68.6%	148 (22.8%)	193 (29.7%)	250 (38.5%)	38 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.1%)	35.5	511^th of 778 public middle schools	34.3%		29.4	552^nd of 773 public middle schools	28.6%	41	48.4	51.6	46.1	44.8	44.6	46.1	63.3	$10,019	$499	$9,520
Rolesville Middle	Public	6-8	4700 Burlington Mills Road	Rolesville	27571	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 570-2260	889	54	16.6	43.4%	326 (36.7%)	286 (32.2%)	178 (20.0%)	36 (4.0%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (6.9%)	64.4	252^nd of 778 public middle schools	67.6%		67	233^rd of 773 public middle schools	69.9%	19	67.5	56.7	58.3	57.9	62.3	63.2	73.3	$9,428	$385	$9,043
River Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	4700 New Bern Ave	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 231-5600	7	19	.3		1 (14.3%)	5 (71.4%)	1 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$33,564	$1,102	$32,462
West Millbrook Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	8115 Strickland Rd	Raleigh	27615	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 870-4050	1,164	68	17.1	32.3%	678 (58.2%)	154 (13.2%)	251 (21.6%)	33 (2.8%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (3.6%)	78.1	148^th of 778 public middle schools	81.0%		77.2	155^th of 773 public middle schools	79.9%	7	74.3	68.3	66.3	73.3	65.4	71.5	74.1	$8,987	$359	$8,628
Wakefield Middle	Public	6-8	2300 Wakefield Pines Drive	Raleigh	27614	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 562-3500	803	45	17.7	31.4%	446 (55.5%)	163 (20.3%)	125 (15.6%)	23 (2.9%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (4.9%)	83.5	103^rd of 778 public middle schools	86.8%		73.8	175^th of 773 public middle schools	77.4%	72	73.3	73.0	64.0	74.1	75.0	75.6	81.6	$8,502	$321	$8,181
Heritage Middle	Public	6-8	3400 Rogers Road	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 562-6204	947	58	16.2	16.9%	608 (64.2%)	116 (12.2%)	105 (11.1%)	82 (8.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (3.6%)	91.1	49^th of 778 public middle schools	93.7%		91.9	46^th of 773 public middle schools	94.0%	3	85.9	86.2	76.3	77.0	83.3	76.4	84.5	$9,218	$405	$8,813
Carroll Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	4520 Six Forks Rd	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 881-1370	898	61	14.8	61.1%	286 (31.8%)	277 (30.8%)	274 (30.5%)	15 (1.7%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (4.7%)	44.1	441^st of 778 public middle schools	43.3%		36.1	505^th of 773 public middle schools	34.7%	64	53.5	53.2	39.1	50.5	54.1	51.5	70.0	$9,352	$593	$8,759

Frequently Asked Questions about River Bend Middle

What district is River Bend Middle in?

Wake County Schools

What is the racial makeup of River Bend Middle?

Students at River Bend Middle are 44% African American, 39% Hispanic, 8% White, 5% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend River Bend Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 995 students attended River Bend Middle.

Is River Bend Middle a good school?

River Bend Middle ranks in the bottom 24.9% of North Carolina middle schools.

Rate River Bend Middle!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.