Summary:
Zip code 28574 in Richlands, North Carolina, is served by four schools in the Onslow County Schools district: two K-5 elementary schools (Richlands Elementary and Heritage Elementary), one 6-8 middle school (Trexler Middle), and one 9-12 high school (Richlands High), together enrolling 2,953 students.
None of the four is a strong all-around performer, but each has notable strengths. Richlands High stands out with a 93.1% graduation rate that beats the district (91.5%) and state (88.8%), although its End-of-Course scores in Biology, Math I, Math III, and English II all trail state averages. Trexler Middle posts the highest statewide percentile of the group (40th), and its 8th-grade reading (58.8% proficient) and science (69.7% proficient) exceed state averages; science jumped from 53.9% to 69.7% in one year. However, Trexler also has the worst chronic absenteeism rate at 28.6%, well above the state average of 24.2%. Heritage Elementary has the best attendance, with only 19.8% chronically absent, despite having the highest economic disadvantage rate (52.9% free/reduced lunch).
All four schools lost ground in statewide percentile rankings from 2024-25 to 2025-26. Richlands High fell most dramatically, from the 45th to the 27th percentile, and its Biology proficiency plunged from 50.9% to 39.6% even as district and state Biology averages rose. Richlands Elementary dropped from the 51st to the 35th percentile. Reading is a consistent concern at both elementary schools, where proficiency in every tested grade trails state averages. For parents, this area offers a high-graduating high school, a middle school with strong 8th-grade results but attendance challenges, and elementary schools where early literacy deserves close attention.
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