Neal Middle

As a reasonably sized junior high in Durham, North Carolina, Neal Middle educates 706 students from grades 6 through 8, run under Durham Public Schools.

Across the 55 schools in Durham Public Schools (31,797 students total), Neal Middle accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Neal Middle reports that 51% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest consists of 40% Black, 4% multiracial, 3% White. By comparison, Durham County as a whole is about 16% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Neal Middle lists 48 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.7:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.9:1 average. An estimated 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Neal Middle performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 48.4%, the actual is 35.1%, a residual of -13.3 points.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Durham County) records that median household income runs about $82,316, about 55% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Neal Middle is one of 74 public schools in Durham County (combined enrollment of about 46,109 students).

The closest other public school is Oak Grove Elementary, roughly 2.1 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Neal Middle. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Neal Middle ranks 6th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 46.7%.

Neal Middle operates from an outer-ring location.

Looking at the recent track record. Neal Middle's enrollment has declined 8% since 2018, when it stood at 764 (now 706). The Black share of enrollment shrank from 48% to 40% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 13.3:1 in 2018 to 14.7:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.