Enrollment
209
Middle
DISTRICT 493 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370357001471
West Pender Middle
10750 NC Hwy 53 West, Burgaw, NC 28425 · (910) 283-5626 · Pender County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL209 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 18% of North Carolina public middle schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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
12.3:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
98%
204 students
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 82%
Community
0
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 | 71 | 34% |
| Grade 7 | 65 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 73 | 35% |
Student demographics
69%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
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
32.9%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
32.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 33 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 33 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
35.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.0%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 36% 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 West Pender Middle
West Pender Middle's state test result (35.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Pender Middle this school | 209 | 97.6% | 35.9% |
| Ellerbe Middle Ellerbe | 182 | 98.4% | 47.6% |
| Cordova Middle Cordova | 233 | 98.7% | 38.9% |
| Burgaw Middle Burgaw | 236 | 97.9% | 37.5% |
| Franklinton Middle Franklinton | 232 | 98.7% | 46.8% |
| South Edgecombe Middle Pinetops | 271 | 98.9% | 46.8% |
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 West Pender Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.9% | #384 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.9% | #377 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 32.9% | #411 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 209 | #453 of 478 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.3:1 | #18 of 456 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.9% | #79 of 456 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.6% | #314 of 472 |
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
209
+30 (+17%) vs 2020
0% since 1990-91, when it was 209
Student : Teacher
12.3:1
was 11.9:1
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 | 209 | 17 | 12.3:1 | 98% (204) |
| 2023-24 | 188 | 16.5 | 11.4:1 | 98% (185) |
| 2022-23 | 179 | 14 | 12.8:1 | 86% (154) |
| 2020-21 | 179 | 15 | 11.9:1 | 65% (116) |
| 2017-18 | 166 | 14.5 | 11.4:1 | 85% (141) |
| 2015-16 | 173 | 16 | 10.8:1 | 84% (146) |
| 2010-11 | 234 | 18 | 13.0:1 | 76% (178) |
| 2000-01 | 362 | 26 | 13.9:1 | 60% (216) |
| 1990-91 | 209 | 14 | 14.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Pender Middle.
Since 2017-18: students up 26% (166 to 209); teachers up 17% (14.5 to 17).
About West Pender Middle
In Burgaw, North Carolina, part of Pender County, West Pender Middle is a middle school. The school covers grades 6 through 8 and reported 209 students in 2024-25. The school is 65% below the average for middle schools in North Carolina.
Pender County Schools serves 11,073 students across 19 schools.
No group is above 50% at West Pender Middle; the largest is White, at 34%. Other reported shares: 32% Black, 30% Hispanic, and 4% multiracial. Pender County's residents are about 75% White, 41 points above the school's share. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 69%.
West Pender Middle lists 17 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 12.3 students per teacher. Across middle schools in North Carolina, the average ratio is 15.9:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 98% of the student body. The gap from the 70% average for public schools in Pender County is 28 points.
On the allk12 Grade, West Pender Middle lands at C-, ahead of 18% of North Carolina public middle schools.
Schools in North Carolina with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 49.0%. West Pender Middle scores 35.9%.
In Pender County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $80,396, about 31% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. The county has 19 public schools and about 11,073 students.
Malpass Corner Elementary is the nearest public school to West Pender Middle, about 3.2 miles away. Within ten miles of West Pender Middle, there are 3 other public schools. In a group of 9 nearby schools with scores, West Pender Middle ranks 6th on average proficiency.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Distant.
Enrollment figures show a gain of 30 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
The discussion board for West Pender Middle is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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
- Topsail MiddleMiddle · 837 students
- Surf City MiddleMiddle · 752 students
- Heide Trask HighHigh · 732 students
- Pender HighHigh · 648 students
Other schools in Burgaw
- Pender HighHigh · 648 students
- C.F. Pope ElementaryElementary · 530 students
- Malpass Corner ElementaryElementary · 513 students
- Burgaw MiddleMiddle · 236 students
- Pender Early College HighHigh · 215 students
Nearby schools
- Malpass Corner Elementary3.2 mi · 513
- Pender High5.3 mi · 648
- Penderlea Elementary9.3 mi · 468
- C.F. Pope Elementary10.1 mi · 530
- Burgaw Middle10.2 mi · 236
- Pender Early College High10.3 mi · 215
Frequently asked questions
About West Pender MiddleHow many students attend West Pender Middle?
West Pender Middle enrolls approximately 209 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does West Pender Middle serve?
West Pender Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at West Pender Middle?
Approximately 12.3:1 students per teacher at West Pender Middle.
What is the student diversity at West Pender Middle?
Student demographics at West Pender Middle are roughly 34% White, 30% Hispanic, 32% Black, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees West Pender Middle?
West Pender 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.