Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 27573

Zip code 27573 is served by just one middle school: Southern Middle, which enrolls 456 students in grades 6–8 and represents the entire middle-level public education profile for the area, operating within the Person County Schools district. The school serves a student population in which 99.34% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it a high-poverty school. Chronic absenteeism runs at 33.4%, well above the district rate of 24.9% and the state rate of 24.2%. Because Southern Middle is the only middle school in this zip code, families have exactly one distinct public school option to consider, and its performance defines the entire area's middle-level academic profile.

Southern Middle holds a stable 3-star state rating, ranking in the 57th–59th percentile across the 2023–2024 through 2025–2026 school years. The school outperforms its district in 100% of the subject/grade combinations reported on the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 EOG tests. Math and science are clear strengths: in 2025–2026, math proficiency at all three grade levels exceeded the North Carolina state average by between 4.4 and 7.8 percentage points, and 8th-grade science reached 76.4% proficiency versus 68.6% statewide. In 2024–2025, 8th-grade science came in at 71.3% compared to the state's 60.1%, a notable accomplishment at a school where nearly the entire student body experiences economic disadvantage.

Reading is the main academic challenge. In 2024–2025, all three grade-level reading scores trailed the state average by roughly 3 to 10 percentage points, and in 2025–2026, 6th- and 8th-grade reading remained below state averages, although 7th-grade reading jumped 16.9 points year-over-year to 58.6%, landing slightly above the state. Year-to-year results do fluctuate because each grade is a different cohort, so large single-year shifts may reflect changing student populations rather than sustained trends. Overall, Southern Middle is a bright spot within Person County thanks to its strong math and science outcomes and stable rating, but its below-state reading proficiency and a chronic absenteeism rate above 33% are red flags parents should monitor closely.