Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 27980

Zip code 27980 is home to just one middle school: Chowan Middle in Tyner, NC, which serves grades 6 through 8 with an enrollment of 357 students and operates within the Edenton-Chowan Schools district. Because this is the only middle school in the zip code, there are no neighboring schools for comparison, so the most meaningful benchmarks come from district and state averages. Chowan Middle currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks 592nd out of 778 North Carolina middle schools, placing it in the 24th percentile. That marks a notable decline from two years earlier, when the school sat in the 40th percentile with a 2-star rating.

Academically, Chowan Middle trails state proficiency averages in nearly every tested subject and grade. During 2025-2026, 6th grade math proficiency was 37.5 percent compared with the state average of 59.2 percent, while 8th grade math came in at just 32.7 percent versus 53.0 percent statewide. Reading results were also below par, with 6th grade reading at 35.1 percent against a state average of 54.8 percent. The clearest bright spot is 8th grade science, where 61.5 percent of students were proficient — within 7 points of the state average of 68.6 percent and a nearly 10-point improvement over the prior year. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.5 to 1, and per-student spending was $11,067 in the most recent reporting year.

Several challenges stand out. An extraordinary 99.16 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a highly economically disadvantaged population. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, with 36.7 percent of students missing substantial school time in 2024-2025, well above the state rate of 24.2 percent. Grade-level test scores fluctuate sharply from year to year, as demonstrated by 7th grade math jumping from 33.6 percent to 51.6 percent while 8th grade math fell from 48.6 percent to 32.7 percent. These swings likely reflect different cohorts of students rather than stable trends. Small class sizes allow for individual attention, but the combination of high poverty, elevated absenteeism, and a declining state ranking suggests a school under significant strain.