W P Grier Middle School

As a medium-sized junior high in Gastonia, North Carolina, W P Grier Middle School hosts 659 students from grades 6 through 8, operated by Gaston County Schools.

Gaston County Schools comprises 56 schools with combined enrollment of 30,995 students; W P Grier Middle School is among them.

On the student-mix side, W P Grier Middle School reports that the most-represented group is Black (53%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest is composed of 29% Hispanic, 10% White, 7% multiracial. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 18%.

Looking at school resources, The school lists 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.8:1. The state averages about 15.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 100% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Gaston County (around 85%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), On a poverty-adjusted basis, W P Grier Middle School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 48.4%; actual is 29.2%, a gap of -19.2 points.

In the area at large, census data for Gaston County shows median household earnings sit near $67,478, about 27% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. W P Grier Middle School is one of 61 public schools in Gaston County (combined enrollment of about 35,898 students).

The closest other public school is Sherwood Elementary, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts W P Grier Middle School at 5th of 6; the average score across the group is 33.6%.

The school occupies a downtown site.

Five-year trend. W P Grier Middle School's enrollment has held roughly steady since 2018, when it stood at 669 (now 659). The White share of enrollment decreased from 22% to 10% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 17.0:1 in 2018 to 15.8:1 today.

On allk12, the feed for W P Grier Middle School typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.