Summary:
Zebulon Middle is the only middle school in zip code 27597, serving grades 6–8 in Zebulon, North Carolina, with 772 students enrolled. The school is part of Wake County Schools, a district ranked in the 76th percentile statewide, yet Zebulon Middle itself ranks at the 34th percentile (513th out of 778 schools) with a 2-star rating for 2025–2026. The school serves an exceptionally high-poverty population, with 99.61% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
Academically, Zebulon Middle performs below district and state averages in every tested subject and grade level. In 2025–2026 EOG results, the largest gaps appeared in 7th-grade math, where 42.0% of students were proficient versus 66.4% district-wide and 56.2% statewide, and in 8th-grade reading, at 43.9% proficiency versus 65.4% for the district. The strongest area was 8th-grade science at 60.7% proficient. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 28.9% of students chronically absent versus 20.5% for the district and 24.2% statewide. The student-teacher ratio is 15.5, and spending per student is $10,412.
Encouragingly, Zebulon Middle showed double-digit improvement in 8th-grade math (+11.8 points) and 8th-grade science (+13.1 points) between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, plus a +7.9-point gain in 7th-grade reading. Even with these gains, the school's star rating remains at 2 stars and its statewide ranking improved only modestly, from the 31st to the 34th percentile. With only one middle school in the zip code, families have no alternative middle school within 27597 itself. Zebulon Middle's recent momentum, combined with the resources of Wake County Schools, will be important as the school works to close the achievement gap with its district and state peers.
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