Southern Wayne High

Southern Wayne High serves about 1,007 students in grades 9–12 in Dudley, North Carolina, and is part of Wayne County Public Schools. It is the largest traditional high school in its local comparison group, and nearly 98% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has moved from a 1-star rating to its current 2-star status, climbing from roughly the 10th percentile of North Carolina high schools in 2023–24 to the 36th percentile in 2025–26.

The most encouraging news is in academic testing. Over the past two years, Southern Wayne has posted sharp gains on state End-of-Course tests across the board: Biology proficiency jumped from about 30% to 50%, Math I from 20% to 49%, Math III from 21% to 63%, and English II from 35% to 47%. Math I proficiency now actually sits above the statewide average. Progress is especially notable for English Learner students, who now rank in the 90th percentile statewide, and for Hispanic and African American students, who have moved from the bottom of statewide rankings to near or above the middle. These gains, in a school where nearly every student faces economic disadvantage, are strong signals worth celebrating.

The biggest challenge is making sure students actually finish high school. The four-year graduation rate is 69.5%, far below the district rate of 81.3% and the state rate of 88.8%. Chronic absenteeism affects 37.8% of students — well above the state rate of 24.2% — though it has been improving for five straight years. Compared with nearby schools, Southern Wayne now performs in a range similar to Rosewood High and Spring Creek High, clearly ahead of Goldsboro High, but behind smaller application schools like Wayne School of Engineering and Wayne Early / Middle College High. The next phase of the turnaround depends on lifting attendance and graduation rates while closing the remaining gap in English II.