Summary:
Middle schools in zip code 27504 serve grades 6 through 8 across two public schools in the Johnston County Public Schools district, an area where both schools report nearly 99% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility.
McGee's Crossroads Middle is the strongest all-around performer in the area, ranking in the 74th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating in 2025–2026. It outperformed both the district and state on every EOG test, and it excels particularly in 8th grade: science proficiency reached 78.4%, reading 68.5%, and math 62.6%. This is especially notable given that the school serves a student body with 98.9% economic disadvantage and maintains a chronic absenteeism rate of just 16.6%, far below the district (21.8%) and state (24.2%). By contrast, Benson Middle ranks lower at the 51st percentile statewide with 3 stars, but it showed major improvement from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, including double-digit gains in 6th-grade reading, 8th-grade math, and 8th-grade science. Benson still struggles with 7th-grade scores below district and state averages, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 25.0% is higher than both averages.
Despite having nearly identical poverty levels, the two schools produce different results. McGee’s Crossroads averages about 65.9% EOG proficiency across all subjects in 2025–2026, while Benson averages about 57.3%. Interestingly, Benson actually has higher per-student spending ($9,496 vs. $8,319) and a lower student-teacher ratio (14.7 vs. 18.0), yet McGee’s remains the higher-performing school. This suggests factors beyond funding and class size—such as school climate, attendance culture, and instructional practices—are driving outcomes. Benson’s improvement is encouraging, but reducing its chronic absenteeism and strengthening 7th-grade support will be key to closing the gap with its higher-performing neighbor in the same ZIP code.
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