The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Science. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bertie Middle
Bertie Middle serves grades six through eight in Windsor, the county seat of Bertie County in northeastern North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The school enrolls a small population of students drawn from across the county following recent district consolidation that closed three school buildings. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students.
On state end-of-grade tests administered in the 2024-25 school year, proficiency rates at Bertie Middle fall below the state midpoint. In English language arts, roughly four in ten students scored at proficiency. In math, the share was similar. Science proficiency was somewhat higher, though state testing data for science is limited because the assessment itself changed that year, making trend comparison difficult. A parent looking at these numbers should understand that they reflect a student population with substantial economic needs and that Bertie Middle serves a county where school resources have been tightening. In the most recent county budget, the district's current-expense funding was cut following declining overall enrollment and building closures.
The school operates within Bertie County Schools, a small rural district that has recently pursued some distinctive initiatives. The district launched a Bertie County history course at the high school in partnership with North Carolina A&T State University, embedding local and regional study into the curriculum. At the high school, the district has sustained a dedicated mental health coach for student-athletes for several years, a program that has drawn national recognition. These efforts signal an orientation toward community partnerships and student support, though they operate in the context of constrained resources and ongoing enrollment decline.
Windsor itself is a small rural county seat with a compact historic downtown anchored by the courthouse and local businesses on King Street, bordered by farmland and forests. Schools sit on separate campuses outside the historic core; Bertie Middle's location on US Highway 13 North places it outside the walkable downtown. The town has stable but modest housing values and limited growth. Retail and housing are the county's stated economic priorities, and workforce shortages mean a substantial portion of county employees live outside Bertie and commute in. The broader Destination Bertie initiative targets ecotourism and downtown revitalization, but growth remains constrained by limited housing supply and retail infrastructure.
For families considering Bertie Middle, the school offers a small, rural middle grades environment serving economically disadvantaged students in a tight-knit county community. Academic proficiency is low and warrants a conversation with the school about how students struggling in core subjects receive support and intervention. The district's investment in mental health and community partnerships suggests some orientation toward whole-student development, though resource pressures are real. Parents weighing a move to the area should factor in recent property tax increases and the county's ongoing facility consolidation.
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