Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 28032

Zip code 28032 contains exactly one middle school—Cramerton Middle—which serves grades 6 through 8 in Cramerton, NC, as part of Gaston County Schools. Because there is no other middle school in this zip code to compare against, this summary focuses on how Cramerton Middle stacks up against its district and the state of North Carolina. The school is a top-tier performer: it earned a 5-star rating in each of the last three years and ranked 69th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools in 2025-2026, putting it in the 91st percentile. Its rank has slipped slightly from 54th in 2023-2024, but it remains firmly in the top 9% of middle schools statewide.

Academically, Cramerton Middle far outpaces both its district and the state in every tested subject and grade. For example, 6th grade math proficiency is 79.3% at Cramerton compared to 55.8% for Gaston County and 59.2% for North Carolina; 8th grade reading proficiency is 78.6% versus 52.0% for the district and 56.1% for the state. The school’s lowest 2025-2026 EOG score—73.1% in 7th grade reading—is still 16.8 points above the state average. Across all seven subject/grade combinations, Cramerton Middle averages roughly 25 percentage points above its district and about 20 points above the state. Notably, 8th grade science is a standout area, with 88.9% of students proficient, a rate that is 23.3 points higher than the district and 20.3 points higher than the state.

Cramerton Middle also shows strengths beyond test scores. Its chronic absenteeism rate is 13.0%, roughly half the district rate of 23.2% and the state rate of 24.2%. About 43% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school still achieves top-decile results, suggesting effective school-level practices are making a difference. The student-teacher ratio is 18.8, and historical per-pupil spending is $7,892 (older data, use with caution). Overall, while Gaston County Schools ranks in the 41st percentile of districts statewide, Cramerton Middle is a clear standout—delivering consistently high performance across every grade and subject, making it an especially compelling choice for families in the area.