Summary:
Zip code 28459 is served by a single public middle school, Shallotte Middle, which enrolls 627 students in grades 6–8 and is part of Brunswick County Schools in Shallotte, North Carolina.
Because this is the only middle school in the zip code, the best way to understand it is to compare it against district and state averages. Shallotte Middle stands out as a strong-performing school despite the fact that nearly all of its students (99.52%) are eligible for free or reduced lunch. In the most recent school year, the school exceeded the North Carolina state average in 6 of 7 tested subject/grade combinations, and it beat the district average in all but one category. The biggest advantages came in 8th grade math (64.1% proficient vs. 53.0% statewide) and 8th grade science (71.8% proficient vs. 68.6% statewide). Averaging across all grades, the school’s math and reading proficiency is roughly 5 to 9 points higher than both district and state levels. Its SchoolDigger ranking has improved from 318th in 2023–2024 to 257th in 2025–2026, placing it in the upper third of all North Carolina middle schools while maintaining a 3-star rating.
The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism: 29.9% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, well above the district’s 24.5% and the state’s 24.2%. This is notable because high absenteeism usually drags down test performance, yet Shallotte Middle still posts above-average scores, suggesting resilient academic programming. Another area to watch is 6th grade reading, which dipped to 53.9% proficiency in 2025–2026, slightly below the state’s 54.8% and a meaningful drop from 59.2% the year before. Meanwhile, 8th grade scores improved sharply, with gains of more than 7 points in math and reading and over 10 points in science between the last two school years. Overall, this is a high-poverty school that is performing above expectations in most subjects, with clear strengths in 8th grade math and science, though attendance and early-middle-school literacy remain opportunities for growth.
Thank you for your feedback!