Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 27858

Zip code 27858 in Greenville, North Carolina contains three public middle schools—Hope Middle, C M Eppes Middle, and E B Aycock Middle—all serving grades 6–8 within Pitt County Schools. Together they enroll about 2,200 students: Hope Middle is the largest at 952 students, C M Eppes Middle enrolls 631, and E B Aycock Middle enrolls 617. Pitt County Schools ranks 112th of 246 districts in North Carolina with a 3-star rating.

Hope Middle is the clear academic standout. It ranks 47th of 778 North Carolina middle schools for 2025-26—in the 94th percentile with a 5-star rating—and it has climbed in rank for three straight years. Its average EOG proficiency is 81.2%, roughly 22 points above the district average of 59.2%. C M Eppes Middle, by contrast, is a lower-performing school showing real momentum: its ranking has improved each year, from the 24th percentile in 2023-24 to the 33rd percentile in 2025-26, and its average EOG proficiency rose 7.2 points in a single year. E B Aycock Middle is the lowest overall performer, ranking in the 28th percentile, and its 42.3% chronic absenteeism rate is nearly double the state average.

Perhaps the most important takeaway is that high poverty does not automatically mean low performance. All three schools serve overwhelmingly low-income populations—roughly 97% to 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—yet Hope Middle outperforms district and state averages by about 20 to 25 points in nearly every subject while having the highest poverty rate of the three. Attendance appears to be a strong differentiator: chronic absenteeism is just 16.5% at Hope Middle, versus 29.8% at C M Eppes Middle and 42.3% at E B Aycock Middle. Interestingly, Hope Middle spends the least per pupil and has the largest class sizes, while E B Aycock Middle has the smallest class sizes yet the weakest results. E B Aycock Middle does offer one bright spot: its 8th-grade science proficiency jumped nearly 20 points in a single year.