The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Science. The lowest is 43% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Leland Middle
Leland Middle serves grades six through eight in Brunswick County Schools, a rapidly growing district in southeastern North Carolina anchored by the fast-expanding residential community of Leland. The school is located in a town that has more than doubled in the past five years through master-planned subdivisions and remains one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the state.
The student body is economically disadvantaged. Virtually all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is distributed relatively evenly across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The school's racial and ethnic composition is diverse: roughly equal numbers of white, Black, and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and multiracial students. Detailed enrollment data on students with individual education plans and English learners was not available.
On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, proficiency rates were mixed. Science showed the strongest performance, with just over half of tested students reaching proficiency. Math proficiency was somewhat lower, approaching half of students. English Language Arts performance lagged both, with fewer than half of students proficient. These three subjects compose the state's tested curriculum for this grade band. Over the prior school year, the science assessment underwent a format change, making trend comparison uncertain; comparisons in other subjects were flagged as unreliable as well, so year-to-year movement in these results should be interpreted with caution.
The district as a whole has recently adopted a strategic plan committing to the adoption of common core curricula across all state-tested subjects in kindergarten through grade twelve and to expanding access to work-based learning such as internships and apprenticeships. The district also aims to increase the share of schools meeting or exceeding growth. A major school bond referendum is on the ballot for November, with funds proposed for a new elementary school, a new high school, and renovations to existing facilities; elementary schools are already at capacity, and all schools are projected to exceed capacity within a few years. If the referendum does not pass, the next opportunity for a bond will not occur until 2028.
For families considering Leland, the housing market is appreciating. Home values have climbed modestly year-over-year, and rents have risen slightly as well. The town is suburban and heavily master-planned, with almost all housing zoned residential and commercial activity concentrated along U.S. 17 and scattered retail corridors. Walkability is limited; the town lacks a traditional downtown, though town leaders are working to develop a more civic downtown through the Gateway District along Village Road. The area functions as a bedroom community across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington, where many residents commute for work.
A parent may want to look into the district's execution of its new curriculum standards and how Leland Middle's proficiency outcomes track over time as those implementations take hold. The bond outcome will be material to class sizes and school experience here over the next decade.
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