Summary:
Zip code 28147 is home to just one middle school—West Rowan Middle—serving grades 6 through 8 in Salisbury, North Carolina, and operating within the Rowan-Salisbury Schools district. With 707 students and nearly 99% of them qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school faces significant socioeconomic challenges, yet it still manages to outperform its district average in several key areas. West Rowan Middle is ranked 644th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools, placing it in the bottom fifth statewide, but its ranking has improved modestly over the past three years—moving from roughly the 14th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 17th percentile in 2025-2026.
For parents, the most encouraging news is the school’s 8th-grade performance. In 2025-2026, 8th graders at West Rowan Middle beat the district average by nearly 8 points in both math and reading, and by 12 points in science. Science stands out in particular: 62.4% of 8th graders scored proficient, coming within just 6 points of the state average despite the school’s high-poverty profile. The 8th grade also showed dramatic improvement over the previous year’s class, with proficiency jumping by 16 to 19 points across math, reading, and science. That suggests a stronger cohort or successful targeted interventions at this grade level.
The biggest concern is 7th-grade math, where only 29.2% of students are proficient—27 points below the state average and 5 points below the district. Reading scores in 6th and 7th grade also trail state averages by about 20 points, though they roughly match district levels. Chronic absenteeism affects 29.4% of students, better than the district’s 34.2% but above the state’s 24.2%, and likely continues to hold back academic progress. Overall, West Rowan Middle’s average proficiency across all EOG tests is 41%, slightly above the district’s 38.8% but about 17 points below the statewide rate. If the school can translate its 8th-grade success into earlier grades—especially math—it may continue its slow climb upward.
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