Summary:
The 28348 zip code in Hope Mills, North Carolina, is served by three public middle schools—Gray's Creek Middle, Hope Mills Middle, and South View Middle—all part of Cumberland County Schools and serving grades 6 through 8. These schools sit within the same district, which holds a 2-star rating, yet they show dramatically different academic outcomes, largely reflecting differences in poverty levels, attendance, and school resources.
Gray's Creek Middle is the clear academic leader, ranking in the 67th percentile statewide with 3 stars and an average EOG proficiency of 62.4%—above both the district and state averages. It also has the lowest poverty rate of the trio at 53.4% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, and it is the only school in the zip code where every subject score exceeds district and state averages. Hope Mills Middle is the most encouraging upward mover: despite 97.1% poverty, it has improved its state rank for three consecutive years, now sitting in the 53rd percentile with 3 stars, and even leads the group in science proficiency at 78.0%. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 29.7% is also the lowest in the area.
South View Middle faces the steepest challenges, with 99.5% poverty, a 20th-percentile rank, a 1-star rating, and every EOG score below both district and state averages. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 41.7%—over 4 in 10 students—likely contributes to its academic struggles. Across all three schools, science is the strongest subject, while the achievement gap is most visible in 8th grade math, where Gray’s Creek outperforms South View by 28 points. Notably, resources do not align with results: Gray’s Creek has the highest student-teacher ratio and lowest per-student spending yet achieves the highest scores, while Hope Mills and South View spend more per student with smaller classes. Poverty and attendance appear to matter more than spending alone, and the zip code’s two-tier profile underscores the need for targeted support at South View.
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