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Hiwassee Dam Middle

Public Grades 6-8

Summary

Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle is a public school serving grades PK-8 in Murphy, North Carolina, with an enrollment of 121 students. The school is part of the Cherokee County Schools district, which is ranked 138 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle consistently performs above the Cherokee County Schools and North Carolina state averages in mathematics, reading, and science proficiency across multiple grade levels. For example, in 8th grade science, the school had 85.4% proficiency in 2024-2025, compared to 77.4% for the district and 60.1% for the state. The school's performance is particularly strong in mathematics, with 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students outperforming their district and state counterparts by significant margins. Additionally, Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle has a very low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10.9 to 11.2 over the past few years, which is lower than the nearby schools in the district.

Despite the school's strong academic performance, it serves a community with significant socioeconomic challenges, as evidenced by the extremely high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 97.32% to 97.52% over the past few years. This is significantly higher than the nearby schools, which have rates between 98.21% and 99.42%. Nevertheless, Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle has maintained a consistent 4-star rating in most years, indicating effective teaching and support strategies that have enabled the school to achieve strong academic outcomes despite the socioeconomic challenges faced by its students.

122

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,929

Per pupil spending ?

96.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

337 Blue Eagle Circle
Murphy, NC 28906-9804

(828) 644-5115

District: Cherokee County Schools

Students who attend Hiwassee Dam Middle usually attend:

High:

Hiwassee Dam High

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.7%

Hispanic:

6.6%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated North Carolina public schools

Compare Hiwassee Dam Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 88th percentile in 2018 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (63% vs 54% meeting standards)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 88th-percentile peak (2018) to 71st (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg54%

222^nd of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 22 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

138^th of 242Cherokee County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	68.5	437 of 1505	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	62.3	542 of 1502	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.2	433 of 1514	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	72.0	370 of 1489	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	54.0	692 of 1473	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.5	374 of 1434	73.9%	★★★★☆
2017	74.6	332 of 1429	76.8%	★★★★☆
2016	82.3	183 of 1425	87.2%	★★★★☆
2015	72.1	376 of 1440	73.9%	★★★★☆
2014	53.9	632 of 1390	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	45.8	733 of 1403	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	37.0	986 of 1388	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	50.4	789 of 1381	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	63.3	549 of 1363	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.7	513 of 1354	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.9	426 of 1324	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.9	591 of 1293	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	64.4	448 of 1276	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	49.8	717 of 1458	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	89.2	90 of 1405	93.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	59.2	511 of 1437	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	39.2	933 of 1430	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.7	553 of 1413	60.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	35.2	818 of 1166	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	836 of 1183	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.0	805 of 1194	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.7	532 of 1172	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.0	872 of 1183	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	57.7	513 of 1178	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.9	222 of 773	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.2	150 of 793	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	82.9	113 of 784	85.6%	★★★★☆
2022	71.7	190 of 786	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	73.6	176 of 741	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	82.4	104 of 737	85.9%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	81 of 691	88.3%	★★★★☆
2017	74.0	157 of 694	77.4%	★★★★☆
2016	67.1	211 of 692	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.2	359 of 705	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	23.0	493 of 627	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.0	420 of 673	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	58.4	325 of 662	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.9	368 of 648	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	73.3	150 of 640	76.6%	★★★★☆
2009	69.0	198 of 630	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	81.4	81 of 620	86.9%	★★★★☆
2007	73.4	131 of 606	78.4%	★★★★☆
2006	69.8	161 of 598	73.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.9	141 of 733	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	93.7	36 of 706	94.9%	★★★★★
2019	84.5	75 of 684	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	89.7	38 of 656	94.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	74.1	112 of 729	84.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	57.6	285 of 733	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	285 of 748	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.0	167 of 711	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	70.6	175 of 665	73.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	374 of 649	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.3	288 of 652	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.3	235 of 656	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.3	321 of 658	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	222 of 632	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.1	166 of 624	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	67.7	186 of 596	68.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)64th percentile~ school

Female (2022)51st percentile-21 vs school

Male (2019)35th percentile-18 vs school

White (2024)30th percentile-41 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)85th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)61st percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)42nd percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science85%+25 vs state

Mathematics64%+11 vs state

Reading53%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Hiwassee Dam Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hiwassee Dam Middle	Public	6-8	337 Blue Eagle Circle	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 644-5115	122	9	13.5	96.7%	107 (87.7%)	1 (0.8%)	8 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	67.9				77.2	150^th of 793 public middle schools	81.1%	(n/a)	67.6	57.5	68.3	37.8	57.5	63.4	85.4	$13,929	$1,973	$11,956
Murphy Middle	Public	6-8	65 Middle School Drive	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 837-0160	353	23	15.4	99.2%	299 (84.7%)	7 (2.0%)	19 (5.4%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.2%)	55.4	322^nd of 773 public middle schools	58.3%		56.7	316^th of 793 public middle schools	60.2%	6	54.8	53.3	27.2	58.7	59.8	51.5	77.7	$10,209	$1,096	$9,114

Frequently Asked Questions about Hiwassee Dam Middle

What high school do graduates of Hiwassee Dam Middle attend?

Students who attend Hiwassee Dam Middle usually go on to attend Hiwassee Dam High

How many students attend Hiwassee Dam Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 122 students attended Hiwassee Dam Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Hiwassee Dam Middle?

Students at Hiwassee Dam Middle are 88% White, 7% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Hiwassee Dam Middle in?

Cherokee County Schools

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Schools in Murphy, NC

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

Hiwassee Dam Middle

All Students

Female

Low Socio Economic Status

Male

White

All Students

Female

Low Socio Economic Status

Male

White

Schools Near Hiwassee Dam Middle