Summary:
In zip code 28170, North Carolina, two schools are classified as “Middle” schools — Anson Middle serving grades 7–8 and Wadesboro Elementary serving grades 4–6 — both part of Anson County Schools, a district ranked 189th out of 246 in North Carolina with a 1-star rating.
The two schools serve nearly all low-income students, with 99.28% free/reduced lunch at Anson Middle and 97.21% at Wadesboro Elementary, and both face high chronic absenteeism: 34.0% at Anson Middle and 47.7% at Wadesboro Elementary, compared to 24.2% statewide. Anson Middle is the stronger school and is showing real momentum. Its state ranking improved from the 7th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 20th percentile in 2025-2026, and its 8th-grade science proficiency jumped from 30.8% to 55.9% over the same period. Yet even with those gains, most subjects remain below state averages — for example, 7th-grade math sits at 36.4% proficiency versus 56.2% statewide, and 7th-grade reading is 37.0% versus 56.3%.
Wadesboro Elementary is more concerning. It scores below its own district in every tested subject and grade, and far below the state. The biggest gaps are in 4th-grade math (31.0% proficient, 30.4 points behind the state) and 4th-grade reading (27.7%, 30.0 points behind). Nearly half of its students are chronically absent, and despite spending more per student ($11,235) than Anson Middle ($9,167) in the most recent spending data, its outcomes are lower. While Wadesboro serves a different grade span (4–6) and lacks a school-level state ranking history, the overall picture is clear: both schools face extreme poverty and attendance challenges, but Anson Middle is improving while Wadesboro Elementary remains well below its already low-performing district.
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