Enrollment
353
Middle
DISTRICT 214 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHEROKEE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370078001056
Murphy Middle
65 Middle School Drive, Murphy, NC 28906 · (828) 837-0160 · Cherokee County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL353 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
350 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 | 129 | 37% |
| Grade 7 | 108 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 116 | 33% |
Student demographics
28%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
56.5%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
45.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 57 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 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
56.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 56% 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 Murphy Middle
Murphy Middle's state test result (56.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy Middle this school | 353 | 99.2% | 56.3% |
| East Wilkes Middle School Ronda | 346 | 99.1% | 61.5% |
| Southeastern Stokes Middle School Walnut Cove | 413 | 98.3% | 38.1% |
| Pilot Mountain Middle Pilot Mountain | 401 | 99.3% | 76.7% |
| Hayesville Middle Hayesville | 301 | 99.0% | 62.1% |
| Madison Middle School Marshall | 468 | 99.4% | 56.9% |
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 Murphy Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.3% | #167 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.9% | #267 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.5% | #137 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 353 | #405 of 478 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.4:1 | #163 of 456 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 27.5% | #446 of 456 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.2% | #213 of 472 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.1% | #97 of 143 |
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
353
+43 (+14%) vs 2020
-4% since 2000-01, when it was 367
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 14.8:1
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 | 353 | 22.9 | 15.4:1 | 99% (350) |
| 2023-24 | 297 | 19.9 | 14.9:1 | 99% (294) |
| 2022-23 | 316 | 20.4 | 15.5:1 | 64% (201) |
| 2020-21 | 310 | 21 | 14.8:1 | 32% (100) |
| 2017-18 | 336 | 23 | 14.6:1 | 97% (327) |
| 2015-16 | 328 | 20 | 16.4:1 | 98% (323) |
| 2010-11 | 339 | 18 | 18.8:1 | 60% (205) |
| 2000-01 | 367 | 20 | 18.4:1 | 45% (166) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Murphy Middle.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (336 to 353); teachers unchanged (23 to 22.9).
About Murphy Middle
Murphy Middle, located in Murphy, North Carolina, is a low-enrollment middle-grades school. The school counts 353 students across grades 6 through 8. The typical figure for middle schools in North Carolina is about 605 students.
Murphy Middle reports to Cherokee County Schools, which has 13 schools and 2,992 students.
The large majority of students at Murphy Middle, 85%, are White. The next largest groups are 6% multiracial and 5% Hispanic. By the diversity index, Murphy Middle comes in at 28%.
The school has about 15.4 students per teacher and 22.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. Across middle schools in North Carolina, the average ratio is about 15.9:1. About 99% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. That is close to the 98% average for public schools in Cherokee County.
Murphy Middle scores 56.3% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 48.6%.
Within Cherokee County, median household income is about $53,628, about 24% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 13 public schools in Cherokee County, with a combined enrollment of about 2,992.
Of nearby public schools, Murphy High is the closest, at less than a tenth of a mile. Inside a five-mile radius, there are 5 other public schools. The school's 56.3% average proficiency ranks 6th among 8 nearby schools.
In the federal locale system, Murphy Middle is coded Rural: Remote, for schools in rural territory far from an urban area.
Federal counts put enrollment at 310 in 2020-21 and 353 in 2024-25, a 14% increase.
The Murphy Middle community page is open for posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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
- Andrews ElementaryElementary · 330 students
- Ranger ElementaryElementary · 264 students
- Andrews HighHigh · 229 students
- Andrews MiddleMiddle · 167 students
Other schools in Murphy
- Murphy ElementaryElementary · 467 students
- Murphy HighHigh · 424 students
- Ranger ElementaryElementary · 264 students
- Peachtree ElementaryElementary · 166 students
- Tri-County Early College HighHigh · 153 students
- Hiwassee Dam HighHigh · 137 students
Other Murphy Middle schools
One other US public school is named Murphy Middle. Murphy Middle is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Murphy Middle SchoolMURPHY, TX · 901 students
Nearby schools
- Murphy High0.1 mi · 424
- Murphy Elementary1.1 mi · 467
- The Oaks Academy3.6 mi · 43
- Tri-County Early College High3.6 mi · 153
- Peachtree Elementary4.0 mi · 166
- Martins Creek Elementary5.6 mi · 137
Frequently asked questions
About Murphy MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at Murphy Middle?
Murphy Middle enrolls approximately 353 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Murphy Middle serve?
Murphy Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murphy Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Murphy Middle is approximately 15.4:1 (23 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Murphy Middle?
Student demographics at Murphy Middle are roughly 85% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Murphy Middle?
Murphy 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.