Summary:
Zip code 28365 is home to a single middle school, Mount Olive Middle, which serves 329 students in grades 5 through 8 as part of Wayne County Public Schools, a district ranked in the 55th percentile statewide.
Mount Olive Middle carries a 1-star rating and sits in the bottom quarter of North Carolina middle schools, yet its performance is mixed. The school's biggest academic weakness is reading: proficiency trails the district and state in every grade, with gaps growing to roughly 21–23 points by 7th and 8th grade. In contrast, 8th grade math is a genuine strength, with 60.2% proficiency that exceeds the state average of 53.0%. Science is the strongest overall subject, and 8th grade science jumped from 50.0% to 65.9% proficiency in one year. The school also serves an almost entirely low-income population, with 99.09% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism is a serious concern at 38.8%—well above the district rate of 31.6% and the state rate of 24.2%.
Parents should know that Mount Olive Middle is improving in several areas, but from low starting points. Significant one-year gains include 5th grade math rising from 42.3% to 57.3%, 6th grade reading climbing from 22.4% to 38.0%, and 5th grade science increasing to 63.4%. Overall, math proficiency averages 47.5% and reading averages 36.2%, both below district and state figures, while science averages 64.7%, slightly above the district rate. The 27-point gap between 8th grade math (60.2%) and reading (33.0%) highlights an urgent need for literacy intervention. With high poverty and absenteeism as critical context, sustained gains in reading and upper-grade math will be essential for this school to improve its standing and move out of the bottom quartile.
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