Enrollment
320
Middle
DISTRICT 385 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SURRY COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370441001751
J Sam Gentry Middle
1915 W Pine Street, Mount Airy, NC 27030 · (336) 786-4155 · Surry County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL320 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 61% of North Carolina public middle schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+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
14.4:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.8:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
317 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 | 98 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 107 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 115 | 36% |
Student demographics
45%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 48% · 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
52.9%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
58.3%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 58 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
53.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% 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 J Sam Gentry Middle
J Sam Gentry Middle's state test result (53.2% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| J Sam Gentry Middle this school | 320 | 99.1% | 53.2% |
| Meadowview Magnet Middle Mount Airy | 318 | 99.1% | 51.5% |
| East McDowell Middle School Marion | 392 | 99.2% | 42.8% |
| Mount Airy Middle Mount Airy | 395 | 99.2% | 57.4% |
| Newport Middle Newport | 346 | 98.8% | 52.2% |
| East Yancey Middle Burnsville | 259 | 98.8% | 52.4% |
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 J Sam Gentry Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Surry County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 53.2% | #205 of 463 | #4 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 58.3% | #144 of 461 | #2 of 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.9% | #182 of 463 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 320 | #418 of 478 | #4 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.4:1 | #91 of 456 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.6% | #385 of 456 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.1% | #228 of 472 | #4 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.3% | #148 of 300 | N/A |
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
320
-68 (-18%) vs 2020
-41% since 1990-91, when it was 544
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
was 15.5:1
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 | 320 | 22.2 | 14.4:1 | 99% (317) |
| 2023-24 | 346 | 23.9 | 14.5:1 | 99% (343) |
| 2022-23 | 363 | 25.2 | 14.4:1 | 61% (221) |
| 2020-21 | 388 | 25 | 15.5:1 | 40% (155) |
| 2017-18 | 365 | 27.3 | 13.4:1 | 54% (198) |
| 2015-16 | 367 | 28 | 13.1:1 | 60% (222) |
| 2010-11 | 425 | 32 | 13.3:1 | 54% (228) |
| 2000-01 | 429 | 40 | 10.7:1 | 50% (215) |
| 1990-91 | 544 | 40 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for J Sam Gentry Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (365 to 320); teachers down 19% (27.3 to 22.2).
About J Sam Gentry Middle
Mount Airy, North Carolina, is home to J Sam Gentry Middle, a small middle school. The school reports 320 students in grades 6 through 8. The typical figure for middle schools in North Carolina is about 605 students.
J Sam Gentry Middle is in Surry County Schools, a district with 7,318 students across 20 schools.
White students account for 70% of enrollment at J Sam Gentry Middle. Smaller groups are 25% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Surry County is roughly 84% White. J Sam Gentry Middle has a diversity index of 45%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Its teaching staff equals 22.2 full-time positions, a ratio of 14.4:1. That ratio is under the 15.9:1 average for middle schools in North Carolina. Around 99% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
The allk12 Grade for J Sam Gentry Middle is B. Compared with North Carolina public middle schools, the school scored higher than 61% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
J Sam Gentry Middle's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (53.2%) and its predicted rate (48.6%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Surry County show that median household income is about $55,656, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 20%, and about 13% of people live in poverty. J Sam Gentry Middle is one of 30 public schools in Surry County, which together enroll about 11,139 students.
The school nearest to J Sam Gentry Middle is North Surry High, at a distance of about 1.1 miles. Within five miles of J Sam Gentry Middle, there are at least 8 other public schools. J Sam Gentry Middle is 4th of 7 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
Its location is classified as Rural: Fringe by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count dropped from 388 to 320. Students per teacher fell from 15.5 in 2020-21 to 14.4 in 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Surry County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
71,425
Census ACS
Median income
$55,656
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
30
11,139 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Surry County Schools
- North Surry HighHigh · 792 students
- Surry Central HighHigh · 679 students
- East Surry HighHigh · 576 students
- Central MiddleMiddle · 502 students
- Franklin ElementaryElementary · 473 students
- Pilot Mountain MiddleMiddle · 401 students
Other schools in Mount Airy
- North Surry HighHigh · 792 students
- Millennium Charter AcademyCombined · 628 students
- Mount Airy HighHigh · 620 students
- Franklin ElementaryElementary · 473 students
- Bruce H. Tharrington PrimaryElementary · 432 students
- Mount Airy MiddleMiddle · 395 students
Nearby schools
- North Surry High1.1 mi · 792
- Meadowview Magnet Middle1.2 mi · 318
- Franklin Elementary1.5 mi · 473
- Mount Airy High2.4 mi · 620
- Bruce H. Tharrington Primary3.1 mi · 432
- Millennium Charter Academy3.4 mi · 628
Frequently asked questions
About J Sam Gentry MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at J Sam Gentry Middle?
J Sam Gentry Middle enrolls approximately 320 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does J Sam Gentry Middle serve?
J Sam Gentry Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J Sam Gentry Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at J Sam Gentry Middle is approximately 14.4:1 (22 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at J Sam Gentry Middle?
At J Sam Gentry Middle, the student body is approximately 70% White, 25% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees J Sam Gentry Middle?
J Sam Gentry Middle is overseen by Surry County Schools in Surry County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.