Mount Airy City Schools

Mount Airy City Schools is a small North Carolina district serving about 1,786 students across four schools in grades PK–12: Bruce H. Tharrington Primary (PK–2), Jones Intermediate (3–5), Mount Airy Middle (6–8), and Mount Airy High (9–12). District-wide, it earns 2 out of 5 stars and ranks 139th of 246 districts.

Mount Airy High is the district’s strongest school, rated 3 stars for three straight years with a 92.2% graduation rate and solid EOC scores, especially Math III (81.6% proficient) and Biology. In contrast, Mount Airy Middle was once a standout at the 70th percentile but has slipped to the 48th percentile in two years, now near the state average. Jones Intermediate is the weakest tested school — ranked in the 33rd percentile — with 5th-grade reading and science far below state averages. Bruce H. Tharrington Primary has no test-based rating because it serves the youngest grades, but it has the highest chronic absenteeism in the district at 21%.

Every school in the district has over 99% free/reduced lunch eligibility, making this an extremely high-poverty district. Despite that, the high school outperforms the state in graduation rate, Biology, and Math III, and science is a clear district strength at both middle and high school levels. The biggest academic weakness is reading and literacy, especially in 5th grade at Jones Intermediate (38.5% proficient vs. 55.3% statewide) and in 6th- and 7th-grade reading at Mount Airy Middle. Attendance is below the state average in all four schools, but Tharrington Primary’s 21% chronic absenteeism suggests early-grade attendance may be contributing to later reading struggles. Overall, families may find strong high school outcomes and science instruction, but should watch the downward trend at Mount Airy Middle and Jones Intermediate, as well as literacy support across the district.