Enrollment
122
Middle
DISTRICT 214 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHEROKEE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370078000319
Hiwassee Dam Middle
337 Blue Eagle Circle, Murphy, NC 28906 · (828) 644-5115 · Cherokee County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL122 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 87% of North Carolina public middle schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats 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
13.6:1
9 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
118 students
DISTRICT 97% · 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 | 37 | 30% |
| Grade 7 | 46 | 38% |
| Grade 8 | 39 | 32% |
Student demographics
22%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 30% · 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
53.8%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
64.7%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 65 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
64.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.3%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+15.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 64% 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 Hiwassee Dam Middle
Hiwassee Dam Middle's state test result (64.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiwassee Dam Middle this school | 122 | 96.7% | 64.4% |
| Andrews Middle Andrews | 167 | 97.6% | 51.6% |
| Piney Grove Middle School Lawsonville | 189 | 98.4% | 63.4% |
| Rosman Middle Rosman | 187 | 98.4% | 55.0% |
| Cranberry Middle Elk Park | 202 | 96.0% | 62.1% |
| Foothills Community School Marion | 200 | 98.5% | 72.1% |
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 Hiwassee Dam Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 64.4% | #95 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 64.7% | #96 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.8% | #166 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 122 | #471 of 478 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 96.7% | #337 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
122
-1 (-1%) vs 2020
-69% since 1990-91, when it was 389
Student : Teacher
13.6:1
was 10.3:1
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 | 122 | 9 | 13.6:1 | 97% (118) |
| 2023-24 | 121 | 11 | 11.0:1 | 98% (118) |
| 2022-23 | 120 | 10.9 | 11.0:1 | 98% (117) |
| 2020-21 | 123 | 12 | 10.3:1 | 98% (120) |
| 2017-18 | 166 | 13.2 | 12.6:1 | 98% (163) |
| 2015-16 | 169 | 14 | 12.1:1 | 98% (166) |
| 2010-11 | 183 | 15 | 12.2:1 | 77% (140) |
| 2000-01 | 399 | 33 | 12.1:1 | 58% (230) |
| 1990-91 | 389 | 28 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hiwassee Dam Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 27% (166 to 122); teachers down 32% (13.2 to 9).
About Hiwassee Dam Middle
Hiwassee Dam Middle is a very small middle-grades school based in Murphy, North Carolina. It has an enrollment of 122 students in grades 6 through 8. On average, middle schools in North Carolina enroll around 605, and this school is 80% below that mark.
Hiwassee Dam Middle is part of Cherokee County Schools, where 13 schools serve 2,992 students.
By race and ethnicity, Hiwassee Dam Middle is 88% White. The next largest groups are 7% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. In Cherokee County overall, the White share is about 91%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 22%.
With 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, the student-to-teacher ratio is about 13.6:1. Statewide, middle schools in North Carolina average 15.9:1. Roughly 97% of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The figure for public schools in Cherokee County is close, at 98%.
Hiwassee Dam Middle earns an A on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 87% of North Carolina public middle schools.
Hiwassee Dam Middle's actual average proficiency rate across its state test results (64.4%) and its predicted rate (49.3%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools.
Census data for Cherokee County show the median household earns about $53,628 a year, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Cherokee County number 13, with about 2,992 students.
Hiwassee Dam High, less than a tenth of a mile away, is the closest public school. Counting only straight-line distance, 2 other public schools are within ten miles. On state test proficiency, Hiwassee Dam Middle ranks 1st in a group of 6 nearby schools.
The school's federal locale classification is Rural: Remote.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 123 in 2020-21, 122 in 2024-25. The ratio of students to teachers went from 10.3:1 to 13.6:1 over the same years.
This page is set up for the Hiwassee Dam Middle community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Cherokee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
29,562
Census ACS
Median income
$53,628
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
13
2,992 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cherokee County Schools
- Murphy ElementaryElementary · 467 students
- Murphy HighHigh · 424 students
- Murphy MiddleMiddle · 353 students
- Andrews ElementaryElementary · 330 students
- Ranger ElementaryElementary · 264 students
- Andrews HighHigh · 229 students
Other schools in Murphy
- Murphy ElementaryElementary · 467 students
- Murphy HighHigh · 424 students
- Murphy MiddleMiddle · 353 students
- Ranger ElementaryElementary · 264 students
- Peachtree ElementaryElementary · 166 students
- Tri-County Early College HighHigh · 153 students
Nearby schools
- Hiwassee Dam High0.0 mi · 137
- Ranger Elementary6.5 mi · 264
- Murphy Elementary10.9 mi · 467
- Copper Basin Elementary School10.9 mi · 321
- Copper Basin High School11.0 mi · 231
- Coker Creek Elementary11.5 mi · 55
Frequently asked questions
About Hiwassee Dam MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at Hiwassee Dam Middle?
Hiwassee Dam Middle enrolls approximately 122 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Hiwassee Dam Middle serve?
Hiwassee Dam Middle serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hiwassee Dam Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Hiwassee Dam Middle is approximately 13.6:1 (9 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Hiwassee Dam Middle?
Hiwassee Dam Middle reports a student body of 88% White, 7% Hispanic, 1% Black, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Hiwassee Dam Middle?
Hiwassee Dam Middle is overseen by Cherokee County Schools in Cherokee County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.