1
What tradition at Central Middle should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
451
Middle
DISTRICT 408 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WHITEVILLE CITY SCHOOLS·NCES 370492001967
Central Middle
310 S Martin L King Jr Ave, Whiteville, NC 28472 · (910) 642-3546 · Columbus County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL451 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 49% of North Carolina public middle schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public middle schools
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
448 students
DISTRICT 96% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 158 | 35% |
| Grade 7 | 147 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 146 | 32% |
Student demographics
67%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Central Middle→Whiteville High
Based on grade levels within Whiteville City Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
46.6%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
55.4%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
49.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 49% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Central Middle
Central Middle's state test result (49.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Middle this school | 451 | 99.3% | 49.3% |
| Northern Middle Roxboro | 454 | 99.3% | 37.7% |
| Elizabeth City Middle Elizabeth City | 484 | 99.4% | 49.7% |
| E B Frink Middle La Grange | 488 | 99.4% | 44.8% |
| Hope Mills Middle Hope Mills | 474 | 97.0% | 52.3% |
| Hamlet Middle Hamlet | 399 | 99.2% | 51.6% |
Matched among North Carolina middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Central Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 49.3% | #255 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.4% | #170 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.6% | #256 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 451 | #349 of 478 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #257 of 456 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 66.5% | #149 of 456 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.3% | #164 of 472 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.1% | #245 of 300 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
451
-32 (-7%) vs 2020
-32% since 1990-91, when it was 665
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
was 14.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 451 | 27.2 | 16.6:1 | 99% (448) |
| 2023-24 | 461 | 33 | 14.0:1 | 98% (453) |
| 2022-23 | 462 | 35 | 13.2:1 | 99% (459) |
| 2020-21 | 483 | 33 | 14.6:1 | 99% (480) |
| 2017-18 | 475 | 28 | 17.0:1 | 99% (472) |
| 2015-16 | 525 | 33 | 15.9:1 | 99% (522) |
| 2010-11 | 571 | 37 | 15.4:1 | 62% (354) |
| 2000-01 | 669 | 46 | 14.5:1 | 58% (386) |
| 1990-91 | 665 | 41 | 16.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (475 to 451); teachers down 3% (28 to 27.2).
About Central Middle
Central Middle is a small middle-grades school with an address in Whiteville, North Carolina. The school reports 451 students in grades 6 through 8. The school's enrollment is 25% smaller than the 605 average for middle schools in North Carolina.
The 5 schools of Whiteville City Schools, including Central Middle, enroll 2,042 students.
No single group makes up more than half of enrollment at Central Middle. The largest is Black students, at 43%. The remaining shares are 36% White, 14% Hispanic, and 6% multiracial. Census estimates put the Black share of Columbus County's population at about 28%. Central Middle's diversity index is 67%, against a US figure of 70%.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.6:1 at Central Middle, with 27.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. On average, middle schools in North Carolina have 15.9:1, compared with 16.6:1 here. The count of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch equals 99% of enrollment. That tracks the 98% average for public schools in Columbus County.
The allk12 Grade for Central Middle is B-. Compared with North Carolina public middle schools, the school scored higher than 49% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Central Middle sits between the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 49.3% and a predicted 48.5%.
Across Columbus County, the median household income is $49,442, about 15% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 15%. In all, Columbus County has 21 public schools and roughly 8,386 students.
The shortest distance from Central Middle to another public school is less than a tenth of a mile, to North Whiteville Academy. Counting only straight-line distance, 5 other public schools are within five miles. On state test proficiency, Central Middle ranks 3rd in a group of 6 nearby schools.
Central Middle is in a town some distance from an urbanized area, a location NCES labels Town: Distant.
Enrollment is down 7% from 2020-21, when Central Middle had 483 students, to 2024-25, when it had 451. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio rose from 14.6:1 to 16.6:1.
Posts about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Columbus County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
50,140
Census ACS
Median income
$49,442
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
21
8,386 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Whiteville City Schools
- Whiteville HighHigh · 639 students
- Whiteville PrimaryElementary · 486 students
- Edgewood ElementaryElementary · 450 students
- North Whiteville AcademyHigh · 16 students
Other schools in Whiteville
- Classical Charter Schools of WhitevilleElementary · 842 students
- Williams TownshipElementary · 659 students
- Whiteville HighHigh · 639 students
- Whiteville PrimaryElementary · 486 students
- Edgewood ElementaryElementary · 450 students
- Old Dock ElementaryElementary · 265 students
Other Central Middle schools
49 other US public schools in 25 states are named Central Middle. Central Middle is the 33rd largest of the 50.
- Central MiddleDobson, NC · 502 students
- Central Middle SchoolGatesville, NC · 336 students
- CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOLEDEN PRAIRIE, MN · 1,860 students
- Central Middle SchoolReading, PA · 1,785 students
- Central MiddleEdgewater, MD · 1,204 students
Nearby schools
- North Whiteville Academy0.0 mi · 16
- Whiteville High0.5 mi · 639
- Edgewood Elementary0.8 mi · 450
- Whiteville Primary0.9 mi · 486
- Columbus Career and College Academy4.1 mi · 230
- Chadbourn Elementary6.3 mi · 233
Frequently asked questions
About Central MiddleHow many students attend Central Middle?
Central Middle enrolls approximately 451 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Central Middle serve?
Central Middle serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Central Middle is approximately 16.6:1 (27 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Central Middle?
Student demographics at Central Middle are roughly 36% White, 14% Hispanic, 43% Black, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Central Middle?
Central Middle is overseen by Whiteville City Schools in Columbus County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.