Middle Schools in Mercer County

Kenneth D. King Middle School is the only middle school listed in Mercer County, serving grades 6–8; it enrolled 581 students and had a 15.7:1 student–teacher ratio in 2024–2025. Its clearest strength is reading in the upper grades: the school averaged 51% proficiency across grades 6–8, compared with 48% statewide, with grade 7 reading 9 points above the state.

There are no other listed schools to compare at the top or bottom, but results vary notably by grade and subject at this school. Grade 7 reading was its strongest state comparison, at 59% versus 50%; grade 8 reading was also above the state, 46% versus 40%. The clearest shortfall was grade 8 writing: 40% proficient, 8 points below the state’s 48%. Math was mixed: grade 6 was 5 points below the state (37% versus 42%), while grade 8 was 6 points above (45% versus 39%).

Results changed unevenly over time: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, reading proficiency rose 13 points in grade 7 and 7 points in grade 8, but fell 3 points in grade 6; math fell 8 points in grade 6, rose 1 point in grade 7, and fell 2 points in grade 8. SchoolDigger’s ranking improved from 184th of 320 schools, at the 43rd percentile with 2 stars in 2024–2025, to 169th of 326, at the 48th percentile with 2 stars in 2025–2026, though it remains below its 2023–2024 ranking of 136th of 324 and the 58th percentile. Chronic absenteeism was 21% in 2025–2026, below the state’s 24% but above the district’s 18%; 61% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025.