Summary:
ZIP code 28334 in Dunn, NC is home to three public middle schools—Coats-Erwin Middle, Midway Middle, and Dunn Middle—serving grades 6–8 with a combined enrollment of 1,561 students across Harnett County Schools and Sampson County Schools. Although they share a ZIP code and similar student populations, their academic outcomes differ dramatically.
Midway Middle is the clear standout, earning a 3-star rating and ranking in the 56th percentile statewide—far ahead of Coats-Erwin Middle (20th percentile) and Dunn Middle (32nd percentile). Midway outperforms the other two schools in every subject and grade level tested, with particular strength in 8th-grade science at 73.8% proficiency versus the state average of 68.6%. Dunn Middle is the most improved school, raising its overall EOG average from 42.6% to 47.5% and its rating from 1 star to 2 stars. Coats-Erwin Middle remains the lowest-performing school, with 7th-grade math proficiency at just 28.6%, although its 8th-grade math and science scores are relative bright spots.
Notably, these achievement gaps cannot be explained by poverty or resources alone. All three schools have near-universal free/reduced-price lunch eligibility (97–99%), and all exceed the state's chronic absenteeism rate of 24.2%, with Dunn Middle highest at 33.3%. Dunn Middle also spends the most per pupil ($10,917) and has the smallest class sizes (13.8 student-teacher ratio), yet Midway Middle achieves better results with less spending ($8,346) and larger classes (18.3 ratio). This suggests school-level practices and instructional quality matter more than demographics or funding. For families, Midway Middle currently offers the strongest academic outcomes, Dunn Middle shows promising momentum, and Coats-Erwin Middle represents the greatest need for improvement.
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