Summary:
Middle schools in zip code 28562 include just one school, H J MacDonald Middle, which serves grades 6–8 in New Bern, North Carolina, within the Craven County Board of Education.
Because this is the only middle school in the area, the story is entirely about H J MacDonald Middle. It enrolls 632 students and is a very high-poverty school, with more than 99% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Despite that challenge, the school has shown steady improvement. Its state ranking has climbed from the 47th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 54th percentile in 2025-2026, and it now holds a 3-star rating. In the most recent year, H J MacDonald outperformed its district in six of seven tested grade and subject combinations, including 6th and 7th grade math, 6th and 7th grade reading, 8th grade reading, and 8th grade science. It also matched or exceeded the statewide average in 6th grade math, 7th grade math, and 6th grade reading — an impressive result given its high poverty level.
The school’s biggest academic weakness is 8th grade math, where just 46.7% of students were proficient, lagging the district by 2.8 points and the state by 6.3 points. However, the overall trend is encouraging: since last year, proficiency jumped by 12.1 points in 7th grade math, 7.3 points in 6th grade reading, and 5.7 points in 6th grade math. Chronic absenteeism sits at 24.0%, which matches the state average but is notably higher than the district’s 18.7%, and this remains a risk factor to watch. Yet the school’s upward momentum, strong relative performance within its district, and broad year-over-year gains make H J MacDonald Middle a standout with positive direction in this zip code.
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