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Does West Alexander Middle have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
467
Middle
DISTRICT 489 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALEXANDER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370009000035
West Alexander Middle
85 Bulldog Lane, Taylorsville, NC 28681 · (828) 495-4611 · Alexander County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL467 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 94% of North Carolina public middle schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats 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
16.4:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.4:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
464 students
DISTRICT 99% · 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 | 168 | 36% |
| Grade 7 | 161 | 34% |
| Grade 8 | 138 | 30% |
Student demographics
32%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
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
63.1%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
72.6%
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 73 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
69.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+21.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 70% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 21 points, placing it in North Carolina's top 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 West Alexander Middle
West Alexander Middle's state test result (69.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Alexander Middle this school | 467 | 99.4% | 69.6% |
| Wheatmore Middle School Trinity | 505 | 99.4% | 50.9% |
| Cane Creek Middle Fletcher | 499 | 98.0% | 71.3% |
| Canton Middle Canton | 475 | 98.3% | 58.8% |
| Granite Falls Middle Granite Falls | 518 | 99.4% | 60.8% |
| West Lincoln Middle Lincolnton | 563 | 98.8% | 54.8% |
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 West Alexander Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 69.6% | #54 of 463 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 72.6% | #34 of 461 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.1% | #82 of 463 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 467 | #334 of 478 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.4:1 | #237 of 456 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.0% | #433 of 456 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.4% | #152 of 472 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.2% | #149 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
467
-48 (-9%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 511
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 14.7:1
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 | 467 | 28.6 | 16.4:1 | 99% (464) |
| 2023-24 | 463 | 29.2 | 15.9:1 | 99% (460) |
| 2022-23 | 467 | 29.3 | 15.9:1 | 47% (219) |
| 2020-21 | 515 | 35 | 14.7:1 | 36% (185) |
| 2017-18 | 532 | 32.4 | 16.4:1 | 37% (196) |
| 2015-16 | 481 | 32 | 15.0:1 | 46% (223) |
| 2010-11 | 594 | 37 | 16.1:1 | 44% (261) |
| 2000-01 | 600 | 35 | 17.1:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 511 | 30 | 17.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Alexander Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (532 to 467); teachers down 12% (32.4 to 28.6).
About West Alexander Middle
West Alexander Middle operates as a small middle school in Taylorsville, North Carolina. Its enrollment is 467 students, spread over grades 6 through 8. Across middle schools in North Carolina, the average enrollment is about 605.
Besides West Alexander Middle, Alexander County Schools runs 10 other schools. The district enrolls 4,344 students.
By race and ethnicity, West Alexander Middle is 82% White. Other groups include 8% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 3% Asian, and 2% Black. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 32%.
West Alexander Middle reports a ratio of 16.4 students per teacher, from 28.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. It is about the same as the 15.9:1 average for middle schools in North Carolina. Lunch program data show 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Public schools in Alexander County average a similar 99%.
Among North Carolina public middle schools, West Alexander Middle outscored 94%, which works out to an A on the allk12 Grade.
After accounting for student poverty, West Alexander Middle is in the top 10% of North Carolina schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results of 69.6% is 21.1 points above the 48.5% predicted for its lunch-eligibility share.
In the surrounding county, Alexander County, the median household earns about $65,354 a year, 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 9% of people live in poverty. Alexander County has 12 public schools with about 4,344 students, including West Alexander Middle.
A public school about 2.5 miles away, Bethlehem Elementary, is the closest to West Alexander Middle. In all, 4 other public schools sit within five miles of West Alexander Middle. In a group of 7 nearby schools with scores, West Alexander Middle ranks 1st on average proficiency.
Federal records code the school's setting as Rural: Fringe.
In 2020-21, West Alexander Middle enrolled 515 students. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 467. The student-to-teacher ratio went up from 14.7:1 to 16.4:1.
Anyone can start a thread about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at West Alexander Middle. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Alexander County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
36,412
Census ACS
Median income
$65,354
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
12
4,344 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Alexander County Schools
- Alexander Central HighHigh · 1,254 students
- East Alexander MiddleMiddle · 510 students
- Bethlehem ElementaryElementary · 435 students
- Hiddenite ElementaryElementary · 370 students
- Wittenburg ElementaryElementary · 294 students
- Taylorsville ElementaryElementary · 241 students
Other schools in Taylorsville
- Alexander Central HighHigh · 1,254 students
- Bethlehem ElementaryElementary · 435 students
- Wittenburg ElementaryElementary · 294 students
- Taylorsville ElementaryElementary · 241 students
- Sugar Loaf ElementaryElementary · 196 students
- Alexander Early CollegeHigh · 172 students
Nearby schools
- Bethlehem Elementary2.5 mi · 435
- Gateway School3.2 mi · 53
- Ellendale Elementary4.2 mi · 168
- Dudley Shoals Elementary4.7 mi · 433
- Wittenburg Elementary5.1 mi · 294
- Oak Hill Charter School6.2 mi · 253
Frequently asked questions
About West Alexander MiddleHow many students attend West Alexander Middle?
West Alexander Middle enrolls approximately 467 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does West Alexander Middle serve?
West Alexander Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at West Alexander Middle?
Approximately 16.4:1 students per teacher at West Alexander Middle.
What is the racial breakdown of students at West Alexander Middle?
At West Alexander Middle, the student body is approximately 82% White, 8% Hispanic, 2% Black, 3% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is West Alexander Middle public or private?
West Alexander Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Alexander County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.