Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 27870

Zip code 27870 in North Carolina's Roanoke Rapids area contains two public middle schools serving grades 6–8: Chaloner Middle School in Roanoke Rapids City Schools and William R Davie Middle S.T.E.M. Academy in Halifax County Schools. These two schools serve nearly identical high-poverty student populations — with free/reduced lunch eligibility at 99.5% and 98.77% — yet produce very different educational outcomes, with enrollments of 605 and 243 students respectively.

Chaloner Middle is the clear academic standout. It ranks 356th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools (54th percentile), holds 3 SchoolDigger stars, and posts a composite EOG proficiency rate of about 57.9%, essentially matching the state average. Its 8th-grade math and science proficiency rates (66.7% and 71.7%) exceed state averages. William R Davie Middle S.T.E.M. Academy, by contrast, ranks 732nd out of 778 (6th percentile), holds 0 stars, and posts a composite proficiency of about 29.1%, far below the state's 57.8% average. Chronic absenteeism is a major divider: 32.6% at Chaloner versus a striking 58.4% at Davie, compared with the 24.2% state average. Davie actually spends much more per student ($15,710 vs. $8,724) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (15.0:1 vs. 17.7:1), yet its results fall far short.

These findings suggest poverty alone doesn't determine outcomes, and increasing spending without addressing underlying issues — particularly attendance — doesn't guarantee improvement. Davie did show real gains from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, with composite proficiency rising from about 22.6% to 29.1%, but its scores remain roughly 29 points below Chaloner's and far below state benchmarks in every subject. Chaloner demonstrates that a high-poverty school in this zip code can achieve at or near state levels, though its middle-grades reading results offer room for growth. Davie's persistent struggles, despite lower class sizes and higher per-student spending, signal that resources alone are not the answer; its most urgent priority is understanding that disconnect and tackling majority-level chronic absenteeism.