Summary:
Zip code 28501 in Kinston, North Carolina, contains exactly one public middle school, Rochelle Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 within Lenoir County Public Schools. With 517 students, Rochelle Middle serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, as nearly 97% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism affects about one in four students (24.6%), close to the district rate of 26.5% but slightly above the state rate of 24.2%.
Rochelle Middle has faced persistent academic challenges. Its state ranking has declined over the last three years, from the 11th percentile (1 star) in 2023-2024, to the 12th percentile in 2024-2025, down to the 7th percentile (0 stars) in 2025-2026, when it ranked 723rd out of 778 North Carolina middle schools. In 2025-2026, proficiency rates were far below district and state averages in nearly every subject. Math shows a particularly alarming trend: 6th grade math proficiency was 30.1%, falling to 23.3% in 7th grade and just 10.6% in 8th grade, compared to a 53% state average for 8th grade. Reading proficiency was weak but less severe, ranging from 28% in 7th grade to 38.2% in 6th grade, still well below state levels.
The one notable bright spot is 8th grade science. In 2025-2026, 54.9% of 8th graders scored proficient, representing a dramatic 23.8 percentage point jump from 31.1% the previous year. This was the highest proficiency rate of any subject and grade at the school, and it narrowed the gap with the state to about 14 points, compared to a 42-point gap in 8th grade math. With no other public middle school in the zip code, Rochelle Middle directly shapes the educational landscape for this community. Understanding what drove the science improvement could offer a valuable path forward, especially while overall school performance remains significantly below district and state averages.
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