Middle Schools in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

The four middle schools in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools — Smith Middle, McDougle Middle, Culbreth Middle, and Phillips Middle — serve grades 6–8 in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area, enrolling roughly 2,650 students total.

Smith Middle is the clear academic standout, earning a 5-star rating and ranking 76th in North Carolina, with the strongest EOG proficiency average (76.8%) and scores above the district average on every grade-level test. Phillips Middle is the next strongest overall, ranking 102nd and posting the highest 8th-grade science proficiency in the group at 82.7%. McDougle Middle ranks 129th and remains solid by state standards, but its overall rank slipped from 98th, and its 8th-grade math proficiency dropped sharply to 56.4% — a warning sign worth monitoring. Culbreth Middle is the lowest-ranked of the four at 172nd, yet it is also the most improved, boosting its EOG average by about six points and cutting its state rank gap significantly. While Culbreth still trails the district average on most tests, it has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (13.0%) and serves the highest percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch.

All four schools sit well above North Carolina state averages, and even the lowest-performing school in this group would be considered strong in many districts. Chronic absenteeism is low across the board compared with state norms, though McDougle’s 18.4% rate stands noticeably higher than its sibling schools. Interestingly, McDougle has the highest per-student spending and a very favorable student-teacher ratio, yet it does not outperform Smith, which spends the least and has the largest class sizes. For parents, the takeaway is that Chapel Hill-Carrboro offers multiple solid middle school options, with Smith leading the way academically, Phillips excelling in science, Culbreth showing rapid improvement, and McDougle deserving attention as its recent trends develop.