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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at Polk County Middle School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
454
Middle
DISTRICT 301 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POLK COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370372002790
Polk County Middle School
321 Wolverine Trail, Mill Spring, NC 28756 · (828) 894-2215 · Polk County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL454 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 85% of North Carolina public middle schools
- B+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
11.1:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.4:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
451 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 82%
Community
1
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 | 147 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 164 | 36% |
| Grade 8 | 143 | 31% |
Student demographics
42%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 41% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Polk County Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
63.2%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
52.6%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 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
60.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+12.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 61% 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 Polk County Middle School
Polk County Middle School's state test result (60.9% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County Middle School this school | 454 | 99.3% | 60.9% |
| Brevard Middle Brevard | 472 | 99.4% | 54.5% |
| North Wilkes Middle School North Wilkesboro | 484 | 99.4% | 55.4% |
| West Wilkes Middle School Wilkesboro | 450 | 99.3% | 51.2% |
| East Alexander Middle Hiddenite | 510 | 98.8% | 53.5% |
| Granite Falls Middle Granite Falls | 518 | 99.4% | 60.8% |
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 Polk County Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 60.9% | #119 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.6% | #195 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.2% | #81 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 454 | #345 of 478 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.1:1 | #5 of 456 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.7% | #403 of 456 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.3% | #161 of 472 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.4% | #256 of 300 |
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
454
-32 (-7%) vs 2020
-15% since 2010-11, when it was 536
Student : Teacher
11.1:1
was 12.2:1
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 | 454 | 40.7 | 11.1:1 | 99% (451) |
| 2023-24 | 471 | 40 | 11.8:1 | 99% (468) |
| 2022-23 | 475 | 38.8 | 12.3:1 | 56% (265) |
| 2020-21 | 486 | 40 | 12.2:1 | 38% (187) |
| 2017-18 | 475 | 42.3 | 11.2:1 | 56% (267) |
| 2015-16 | 489 | 39 | 12.5:1 | 99% (486) |
| 2010-11 | 536 | 40 | 13.4:1 | 52% (277) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Polk County Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (475 to 454); teachers down 4% (42.3 to 40.7).
About Polk County Middle School
Polk County Middle School is a public small middle-grades school in Mill Spring, North Carolina. It enrolled 454 students in grades 6 through 8 for the 2024-25 school year. Statewide, middle schools in North Carolina average about 605 students each.
Besides Polk County Middle School, Polk County Schools runs 6 other schools. The district enrolls 2,110 students.
Roughly 75% of students at Polk County Middle School are White. Other groups include 14% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 4% Black. By comparison, Polk County residents are about 87% White. Polk County Middle School's diversity index is 42%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school has about 11.1 students per teacher and 40.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 4.7 below the 15.9:1 average for middle schools in North Carolina. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 99%. For comparison, public schools in Polk County average 99%.
Polk County Middle School is graded A by allk12, scoring above 85% of North Carolina public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Test results at Polk County Middle School are 12.4 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (60.9% actual, 48.5% predicted).
Within Polk County, the median household income is $67,758, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Besides Polk County Middle School, Polk County has 6 other public schools.
The closest public school to Polk County Middle School is Polk County High School, about 2.3 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, 3 other public schools are within five miles. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Polk County Middle School is 3rd of 5 on proficiency.
Federal data place Polk County Middle School in the Rural: Distant locale, which means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Polk County Middle School's enrollment dropped from 486 in 2020-21 to 454 in 2024-25. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (11.1:1) than in 2020-21 (12.2:1).
Discussions about Polk County Middle School may include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
19,891
Census ACS
Median income
$67,758
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
7
2,110 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Polk County Schools
- Polk County High SchoolHigh · 596 students
- Polk Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 379 students
- Tryon Elementary SchoolElementary · 367 students
- Saluda Elementary SchoolElementary · 142 students
- Sunny View Elementary SchoolElementary · 120 students
- Polk County Early CollegeHigh · 52 students
Other schools in Mill Spring
- Polk Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 379 students
- Sunny View Elementary SchoolElementary · 120 students
Nearby schools
- Polk County High School2.3 mi · 596
- Polk County Early College2.4 mi · 52
- Polk Central Elementary School2.6 mi · 379
- Sunny View Elementary School5.1 mi · 120
- Tryon Elementary School7.0 mi · 367
- Lake Lure Classical Academy7.7 mi · 481
Frequently asked questions
About Polk County Middle SchoolHow many students attend Polk County Middle School?
Polk County Middle School enrolls approximately 454 students in grades 06-08.
Is Polk County Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Polk County Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk County Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Polk County Middle School is approximately 11.1:1 (41 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Polk County Middle School?
At Polk County Middle School, the student body is approximately 75% White, 14% Hispanic, 4% Black, 0% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Polk County Middle School public or private?
Polk County Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Polk County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.