Burgaw Middle

Set in Burgaw, North Carolina, Burgaw Middle is a tiny middle school, operated by Pender County Schools. It hosts 236 students across grades 6 through 8. That puts it 61% smaller than the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 605 students.

Within Pender County Schools, which oversees 19 schools and 11,073 students, Burgaw Middle is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Burgaw Middle lists that 42% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest consists of 32% Black, 21% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 75% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Burgaw Middle reports 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 10.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.9:1 average. Around 98% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above Pender County's rate of about 70%.

After controlling for student poverty, Burgaw Middle performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 49.0%, the actual is 37.5%, a residual of -11.5 points.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Pender County indicate median household income runs about $80,396, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Pender County's 19 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,073 students), Burgaw Middle is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Pender Early College High, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Burgaw Middle at 6th of 9; the average score across the group is 47.6%.

Burgaw Middle operates from a countryside location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 10%: 263 students in 2018 compared to 236 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment fell from 37% to 32% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 10.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Burgaw Middle community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.