Clayton Middle

Clayton Middle, a mid-sized intermediate school in Clayton, North Carolina, overseen by Johnston County Public Schools, educates 609 students, covering grades 6 through 8.

Clayton Middle is one of 48 schools operated by Johnston County Public Schools, a district that caters to 37,320 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Clayton Middle lists that the most-represented group is Hispanic (36%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Other groups include 28% Black, 28% White, 7% multiracial. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 17%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.0:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 15.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 96% of students at Clayton Middle qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Clayton Middle sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 49.5%; this one delivers 52.1%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Johnston County shows median household income runs about $83,384, roughly 29% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Johnston County runs 52 public schools (combined enrollment of about 41,004 students), of which Clayton Middle is one.

The closest other public school is West Clayton Elementary, roughly 0.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Clayton Middle ranks 7th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 56.7%.

Clayton Middle operates from a commuter-belt location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 4%: 587 students in 2018 compared to 609 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 48% to 28%.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.