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Public middle school · Pender County Schools · Burgaw, North Carolina

West Pender Middle

West Pender Middle rates 5.7, right at the middle of Pender County Schools's middle schools, whose rated median is 5.8.

Middle schools, 1 to 10This campus against public middle schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
5.7this school

5.7 on a one-to-ten scale; the Pender County Schools median is 5.8.

#1,812 of 2,660 schools in North Carolina · Pender County Schools: 5 middle schools rated, median 5.8

The brief

A Pender County Schools middle school where students score 11 points below what's typical for similar communities.

It ranks 1,812 of 2,660 schools in North Carolina and 11 of 19 in Pender County Schools.

West Pender Middle is listed in Pender County Schools, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.

Math46%11 points below the North Carolina average of 57%2026 NC
Reading33%23 points below the North Carolina average of 56%2026 NC
In 2026, 46% of students were proficient in math and 33% in reading, against North Carolina averages of 57% and 56%.2026 NC; 60 test records from NC state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
6.1
40% of the rating
Academics
3.6
35% of the rating
Resources & Environment
8.1
25% of the rating
About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 7 sources, 2019–2026

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 3/3 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 32% (multi-year average, 2009-2026) · reading/ELA 35% (multi-year average, 2009-2026).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2026 NC · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2026 NC · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
State assessments · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 28425; this does not measure the attendance area.
Programs (AP/IB, athletics, gifted)
CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22 · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: SY 2021–22. A newer release may be available.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2026; directory SY 2023–24

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
West Pender Middle and the 20 nearest middle schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$65,163
Median home value
$206,300
Median rent
$989/mo
College educated
23.2%
Homeownership
78.4%
Poverty rate
13.5%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 28425; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
3
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
27
Somewhat Bikeable
City reported crime
2,104/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Burgaw. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Burgaw), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Programs

Gifted and talented
Available
A program for qualifying students · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
98.4%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

Compare nearby

Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.
Public-school ratings. Grade-compatible district peers, best rated first.
  1. Topsail Middlesame district
    5.9Compare →
  2. Surf City Middlesame district
    5.8Compare →
  3. West Pender Middlethis school
    5.7
No grade-compatible school using the same rating model is available within 5 miles, so these are two recorded peers in Pender County Schools, best rated first, and two rate higher than West Pender Middle.Public-school ratings. Same-district campuses. A district label is not attendance eligibility; verify the enrollment path with the district.

Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.

Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

Questions families ask

What grades does West Pender Middle serve?

West Pender Middle serves students in grades 6th through 8th.

How many students attend West Pender Middle?

West Pender Middle has an enrollment of approximately 188 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at West Pender Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at West Pender Middle is 11.8:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does West Pender Middle rank in NC?

West Pender Middle ranks #1,812 of 2,660 schools in NC.

What is West Pender Middle's MySchoolScout rating?

West Pender Middle has a current MySchoolScout rating of 5.7 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown; equity data is shown separately for context.

What are the test scores at West Pender Middle?

Based on loaded state assessment records, West Pender Middle has 32% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026) and 35% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026).

Is West Pender Middle a charter school?

No, West Pender Middle is not a charter school. It is a traditional public school operated by the local school district.

Is West Pender Middle a Title I school?

No, West Pender Middle is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for West Pender Middle?

98.4% of students at West Pender Middle qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
6th – 8th
Enrollment
188
Student-teacher ratio
11.8:1
Teachers (FTE)
16
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Distant Rural
County
Pender County
Rank in district
#11 of 19
Schools in district
19
District spending per student
$11,425
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
11.7%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 28425)
10,823
Area average commute
29.8 min
Area median age
44.7

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, North Carolina Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.