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What do you wish you knew before starting at W C Friday Middle School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
618
Middle
DISTRICT 639 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GASTON COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370162000716
W C Friday Middle School
1221 Ratchford Drive, Dallas, NC 28034 · (704) 922-5297 · Gaston County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL618 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 26% of North Carolina public middle schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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
18.1:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
615 students
DISTRICT 88% · 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 | 222 | 36% |
| Grade 7 | 206 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 190 | 31% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
43.0%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
39.1%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 43 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 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
39.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% 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 W C Friday Middle School
W C Friday Middle School's state test result (39.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| W C Friday Middle School this school | 618 | 99.5% | 39.9% |
| J E Holmes Middle Eden | 612 | 99.5% | 34.8% |
| Southern Middle Aberdeen | 620 | 98.9% | 56.1% |
| West Rowan Middle Salisbury | 707 | 98.9% | 36.0% |
| Mount Holly Middle Mount Holly | 570 | 99.5% | 54.4% |
| West Craven Middle New Bern | 614 | 97.6% | 38.9% |
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 W C Friday Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Gaston County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.9% | #347 of 463 | #7 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.1% | #327 of 461 | #7 of 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.0% | #301 of 463 | #6 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 618 | #209 of 478 | #6 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.1:1 | #368 of 456 | #9 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.6% | #125 of 456 | #4 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.5% | #81 of 472 | #3 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.1% | #186 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
618
+22 (+4%) vs 2020
+6% since 1990-91, when it was 585
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
was 17.5:1
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 | 618 | 34.2 | 18.1:1 | 100% (615) |
| 2023-24 | 612 | 31.1 | 19.7:1 | 100% (609) |
| 2022-23 | 605 | 30.8 | 19.6:1 | 74% (446) |
| 2020-21 | 596 | 34 | 17.5:1 | 48% (286) |
| 2017-18 | 680 | 40.3 | 16.9:1 | 53% (359) |
| 2015-16 | 673 | 37 | 18.2:1 | 56% (380) |
| 2010-11 | 659 | 38 | 17.3:1 | 58% (380) |
| 2000-01 | 734 | 47 | 15.6:1 | 36% (267) |
| 1990-91 | 585 | 44 | 13.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for W C Friday Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (680 to 618); teachers down 15% (40.3 to 34.2).
About W C Friday Middle School
W C Friday Middle School is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as a middle-grades school in Dallas, North Carolina. It reports enrollment of 618 students in grades 6 through 8.
W C Friday Middle School reports to Gaston County Schools, which has 56 schools and 30,995 students.
The largest group at W C Friday Middle School is White students, at 47%. The school is also 24% Black, 19% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. That is lower than the 68% White share among all Gaston County residents. The diversity index for W C Friday Middle School is 68%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 18.1:1. The school has 34.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. By comparison, the average for middle schools in North Carolina is 15.9:1. In all, 100% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The 85% average for public schools in Gaston County is 15 points lower.
On the allk12 Grade, W C Friday Middle School lands at C, ahead of 26% of North Carolina public middle schools.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, W C Friday Middle School would be expected to post about 48.5%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 39.9%.
In the surrounding county, Gaston County, median household income comes to about $67,478, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 27% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. The county's public schools total 61, with about 35,898 students.
North Gaston High is about 0.3 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Compared with its nearest neighbors, W C Friday Middle School ranks 3rd of 6 on average proficiency.
The school's federal locale classification is Rural: Fringe.
From 596 students in 2020-21, enrollment rose to 618 by 2024-25.
People who know W C Friday Middle School can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Gaston County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
234,881
Census ACS
Median income
$67,478
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
61
35,898 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Gaston County Schools
- Ashbrook HighHigh · 1,386 students
- Hunter Huss HighHigh · 1,165 students
- Forestview HighHigh · 1,133 students
- North Gaston HighHigh · 1,061 students
- South Point HighHigh · 989 students
- Cramerton MiddleMiddle · 959 students
Other schools in Dallas
- North Gaston HighHigh · 1,061 students
- Carr ElementaryElementary · 665 students
- Costner ElementaryElementary · 430 students
- Gaston Early College High SchoolHigh · 235 students
- Gaston Early College of Medical SciencesHigh · 174 students
Nearby schools
- North Gaston High0.3 mi · 1,061
- Carr Elementary1.5 mi · 665
- Gaston Early College High School1.5 mi · 235
- Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences1.6 mi · 174
- Costner Elementary2.5 mi · 430
- Brookside Elementary3.3 mi · 512
Frequently asked questions
About W C Friday Middle SchoolHow many students attend W C Friday Middle School?
W C Friday Middle School enrolls approximately 618 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does W C Friday Middle School serve?
W C Friday Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W C Friday Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at W C Friday Middle School is approximately 18.1:1 (34 FTE teachers).
How diverse is W C Friday Middle School?
W C Friday Middle School reports a student body of 47% White, 19% Hispanic, 24% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is W C Friday Middle School in?
W C Friday Middle School is part of Gaston County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.