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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the Topsail Middle administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
837
Middle
DISTRICT 493 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370357001470
Topsail Middle
17445 US Hwy 17, Hampstead, NC 28443 · (910) 270-2612 · Pender County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL837 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 78% of North Carolina public middle schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats 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
18.7:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
20%
168 students
DISTRICT 82% · 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 5 | 122 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 268 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 211 | 25% |
| Grade 8 | 236 | 28% |
Student demographics
29%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Pender County 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
66.8%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
71.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 67 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 72 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
72.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
72.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 72% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 73% 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 Topsail Middle
Topsail Middle's state test result (72.3% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsail Middle this school | 837 | 20.1% | 72.3% |
| Surf City Middle Hampstead | 752 | 21.3% | 67.9% |
| North Lincoln Middle Denver | 774 | 28.9% | 67.3% |
| Broad Creek Middle Newport | 722 | 30.1% | 76.1% |
| Moyock Middle Moyock | 635 | 29.6% | 67.0% |
| Charles P Murray Middle Wilmington | 907 | 34.3% | 76.3% |
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 Topsail Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 72.3% | #40 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 71.9% | #42 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.8% | #60 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 837 | #87 of 478 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.7:1 | #410 of 456 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 29.3% | #442 of 456 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 20.1% | #459 of 472 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -16.7% | #96 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
837
+210 (+33%) vs 2020
+134% since 1990-91, when it was 358
Student : Teacher
18.7:1
was 20.9:1
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 | 837 | 44.8 | 18.7:1 | 20% (168) |
| 2023-24 | 855 | 43.7 | 19.6:1 | 21% (178) |
| 2022-23 | 807 | 41 | 19.7:1 | 20% (159) |
| 2020-21 | 627 | 30 | 20.9:1 | 14% (87) |
| 2017-18 | 1,005 | 56 | 17.9:1 | 21% (212) |
| 2015-16 | 1,016 | 58 | 17.5:1 | 29% (294) |
| 2010-11 | 827 | 46 | 18.0:1 | 35% (287) |
| 2000-01 | 465 | 32 | 14.5:1 | 29% (134) |
| 1990-91 | 358 | 21 | 17.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Topsail Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (1,005 to 837); teachers down 20% (56 to 44.8).
About Topsail Middle
Topsail Middle is classified as a middle-grades school. It is located in Hampstead, North Carolina. The school reports 837 students in grades 5 through 8. The typical figure for middle schools in North Carolina is about 605 students.
Within Pender County Schools, Topsail Middle is one of 19 schools. The district enrolls 11,073 students.
White students are the large majority at Topsail Middle, with 84% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 8% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 3% Black. Among people living in Pender County, the White share is about 75%. Topsail Middle has a diversity index of 29%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The school employs the equivalent of 44.8 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 18.7:1. Among middle schools in North Carolina, the typical ratio is 15.9:1. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 20%. For comparison, public schools in Pender County average 70%.
allk12 grades Topsail Middle an A-. The grade compares the school only with North Carolina public middle schools, because each state gives its own test.
After adjusting for student poverty, Topsail Middle lands between the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 72.3%; the prediction is 72.7%.
Pender County has about 65,550 residents, and median household income is about $80,396, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 31%, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. The public schools of Pender County number 19 and enroll about 11,073.
Topsail Annandale Elementary School is the public school closest to Topsail Middle, about 0.2 miles away. Topsail Middle has 4 other public schools within five miles. Nearby schools average 71.2% on proficiency, and Topsail Middle is above that at 72.3%.
In the federal locale system, Topsail Middle is coded Rural: Fringe, for schools in rural territory close to an urban area.
The 2024-25 enrollment of 837 was 33% higher than in 2020-21, when it was 627. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 20.9:1; by 2024-25 it was 18.7:1.
Discussions about Topsail Middle may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Pender County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
65,550
Census ACS
Median income
$80,396
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
11,073 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pender County Schools
- Topsail HighHigh · 1,945 students
- Surf City ElementaryElementary · 857 students
- Surf City MiddleMiddle · 752 students
- Heide Trask HighHigh · 732 students
- Pender HighHigh · 648 students
- South Topsail ElementaryElementary · 618 students
Other schools in Hampstead
- Topsail HighHigh · 1,945 students
- Surf City ElementaryElementary · 857 students
- Surf City MiddleMiddle · 752 students
- South Topsail ElementaryElementary · 618 students
- Topsail Annandale Elementary SchoolElementary · 580 students
- North Topsail ElementaryElementary · 529 students
Nearby schools
- Topsail Annandale Elementary School0.2 mi · 580
- Topsail High0.3 mi · 1,945
- South Topsail Elementary2.3 mi · 618
- North Topsail Elementary2.3 mi · 529
- Surf City Middle7.4 mi · 752
- Surf City Elementary7.4 mi · 857
Frequently asked questions
About Topsail MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at Topsail Middle?
Topsail Middle enrolls approximately 837 students in grades 05-08.
Is Topsail Middle an elementary, middle, or high school?
Topsail Middle is a middle school covering grades 05-08.
How many students per teacher at Topsail Middle?
Approximately 18.7:1 students per teacher at Topsail Middle.
How diverse is Topsail Middle?
Topsail Middle reports a student body of 84% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Topsail Middle?
Topsail Middle is overseen by Pender County Schools in Pender County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.