Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 27893

Zip code 27893 in Wilson, North Carolina is served by two public middle schools—Forest Hills Middle and Charles H Darden Middle—both of which serve grades 6 through 8 as part of Wilson County Schools. Together they enroll about 1,032 students in a district that ranks in the 61st percentile statewide, with both schools facing very high levels of economic need.

Forest Hills Middle is the clear academic standout in this area. It has climbed from the 44th to the 57th percentile in state rankings over the last three years and now holds a 3-star rating. Its students are at or above state averages in reading in every grade, and its 8th graders shine in math and science, with 67.6% proficient in math and 76.0% proficient in science—well above district and state averages. Charles H Darden Middle, by contrast, sits near the bottom of North Carolina's middle schools at the 15th percentile with a 1-star rating. Darden trails Forest Hills by roughly 20 to 30 percentage points across most subjects, and its math proficiency drops sharply by grade: from 40.8% in 6th grade to just 18.9% in 8th grade. Even so, Darden has improved from the 8th percentile (0 stars) three years ago, so the trajectory is positive, if still far behind.

What makes the gap between these two schools especially striking is that Darden actually has more resources per student—spending $12,284 per pupil versus $8,665 at Forest Hills—and a lower student-teacher ratio of 13.6 to 1, compared to 18.2 to 1 at Forest Hills. Both schools serve nearly identical high-poverty populations, with over 99% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, yet Forest Hills still outperforms Darden significantly. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern at both schools, with 28.4% of Forest Hills students and 33.4% of Darden students missing enough school to be considered chronically absent, both above the state average of 24.2%. For families choosing between these two schools, Forest Hills offers clearly stronger academic results and is on a solid upward path, while Darden faces deeper challenges that additional funding and smaller classes alone have not yet overcome.