Summary:
ZIP code 27591 is home to two public middle schools serving grades 6–8 in North Carolina: Archer Lodge Middle in Johnston County Public Schools and Wendell Middle in Wake County Schools, providing a useful comparison of two schools in the same ZIP code but different districts.
Archer Lodge Middle is the clear academic standout. It holds a 4-star state rating, ranks in the 72nd percentile among North Carolina middle schools, and exceeds the state average in every EOG subject and grade level, with an overall proficiency rate near 65%. Wendell Middle, by contrast, is a 2-star school ranking in the 30th percentile, with overall EOG proficiency near 47%—roughly 18 points lower than Archer Lodge. Both schools serve populations with nearly identical economic disadvantage (free/reduced lunch eligibility around 99.7%), yet Archer Lodge outperforms Wendell in every reported measure. Notably, Wendell spends more per student ($8,914 vs. $7,395) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (14.0 vs. 18.7), showing that those resources alone do not determine academic success.
Chronic absenteeism aligns closely with performance: Archer Lodge’s rate is 19.1%, below both its district and the state, while Wendell’s is 27.7%—meaning more than one in four students is chronically absent. Wendell belongs to the higher-ranked Wake County district, but it falls about 21 points below its own district average, while Archer Lodge outperforms its Johnston County district. Wendell did improve from 40.4% to 46.8% proficiency year over year, including strong gains in 8th-grade math and science, but it still has a long way to go. Archer Lodge remains strong overall, though its 8th-grade reading declined notably, and its math performance softens in 8th grade after strong 6th- and 7th-grade results—both trends worth watching.
Thank you for your feedback!