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West Alexander Middle

Q: Is West Alexander Middle a good school?

West Alexander Middle ranks 203 rd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

203^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 74% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

West Alexander Middle is a grades 6–8 school in Taylorsville, NC, serving 467 students as part of Alexander County Schools. This is a school that stands out significantly from the schools around it, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 74th percentile (203rd of 778 North Carolina middle schools) in the latest statewide comparison. That achievement is especially notable because virtually the entire student body — 99.36% — qualifies for free or reduced lunch, a factor that often drags schools down. But West Alexander consistently defies expectations, placing in the top quarter of schools statewide year after year, even while its district overall earns only a 2-star rating.

Families comparing schools in the area will quickly see how exceptional West Alexander's results are. It is the highest-ranked middle school in its local group, well ahead of the next-closest school, East Burke Middle, and dramatically outperforms its same-district sibling, East Alexander Middle, despite both schools serving similarly high-poverty communities. The 8th grade results are especially strong: 76.3% of West Alexander students are proficient in math (versus 53.0% statewide), 69.6% in reading, and 82.2% in science. The school's in-house progression is also noteworthy — proficiency rises steadily from 6th to 8th grade, which suggests students make real academic gains during their middle school years.

West Alexander also posts one of the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in the area at 17.0%, well below the statewide rate of 24.2%, and that strong attendance likely fuels academic success. The school does particularly well with low-income, Hispanic, and gifted students compared to similar populations statewide. The main area to watch is 6th grade reading, where proficiency dips to 51.6%, below the state average. Overall, West Alexander proves that a high-poverty school can deliver top-quartile results, making it a compelling option for families in the Taylorsville area.

467

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

85 Bulldog Lane
Taylorsville, NC 28681-9538

(828) 495-4611

District: Alexander County Schools

Students who attend West Alexander Middle usually attend:

High:

Alexander Central High

Feeder schools for West Alexander Middle:

Elementary:	Bethlehem Elementary
	Ellendale Elementary
	Wittenburg Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.8%

Hispanic:

8.4%

Two or more races:

4.7%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare West Alexander Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 82nd percentile in 2025 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (67% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 82nd-percentile peak (2025) to 74th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg58%

203^rd of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

128^th of 246Alexander 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.8	203 of 778	73.9%	★★★★☆
2025	79.5	141 of 773	81.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.7	156 of 793	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	167 of 784	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	162 of 786	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	79.7	137 of 741	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	73.6	170 of 737	76.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	224 of 691	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.8	282 of 694	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.6	260 of 692	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.4	252 of 705	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	57.9	247 of 627	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.7	269 of 673	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.8	254 of 662	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.8	171 of 648	73.6%	★★★★☆
2010	68.9	196 of 640	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	70.0	188 of 630	70.2%	★★★★☆
2008	68.3	193 of 620	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	64.5	233 of 606	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.5	205 of 598	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.4	400 of 449	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.2	154 of 478	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.0	64 of 504	87.3%	★★★★☆
2018	63.8	88 of 475	81.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.5	199 of 731	72.8%	★★★★☆
2025	80.1	124 of 733	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	81.2	116 of 738	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	81.4	112 of 731	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	146 of 733	80.1%	★★★★☆
2021	79.4	123 of 706	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.1	177 of 684	74.1%	★★★★☆
2018	66.4	220 of 656	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.8	30 of 465	93.5%	★★★★★
2025	76.9	34 of 458	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	68.6	102 of 461	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	52.7	271 of 452	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.9	213 of 450	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.1	93 of 448	79.2%	★★★★☆
2019	71.7	53 of 416	87.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.5	75 of 566	86.7%	★★★★☆
2025	94.2	22 of 562	96.1%	★★★★★
2023	77.8	72 of 553	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	76.8	70 of 541	87.1%	★★★★☆
2021	90.4	28 of 522	94.6%	★★★★★
2019	85.6	38 of 493	92.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.6	152 of 725	79.0%	★★★★☆
2025	81.3	76 of 729	89.6%	★★★★☆
2024	83.1	67 of 743	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	80.3	90 of 735	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	81.9	65 of 689	90.6%	★★★★★
2021	86.2	38 of 633	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	68.1	150 of 639	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	60.4	211 of 604	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.3	212 of 736	71.2%	★★★★☆
2025	76.5	148 of 733	79.8%	★★★★☆
2024	68.4	206 of 751	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	216 of 747	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	73.5	167 of 748	77.7%	★★★★☆
2021	77.6	140 of 711	80.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.8	158 of 697	77.3%	★★★★☆
2018	67.1	215 of 665	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	218 of 500	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.5	119 of 478	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	50.2	166 of 473	64.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.1	324 of 644	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.7	235 of 649	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.0	280 of 652	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	273 of 656	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	258 of 658	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	223 of 632	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.5	291 of 624	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.5	369 of 596	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)94th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)87th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)79th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)71st percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)56th percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)50th percentile-24 vs school

Disabled (2022)11th percentile-68 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science82%+14 vs state

Mathematics69%+13 vs state

Reading61%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Alexander Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
West Alexander Middle	Public	6-8	85 Bulldog Lane	Taylorsville	28681	Alexander County	Alexander County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 495-4611	467	29	16.3	99.4%	382 (81.8%)	10 (2.1%)	39 (8.4%)	12 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.7%)	70.8	203^rd of 778 public middle schools	73.9%		79.5	141^st of 773 public middle schools	81.8%	62	59.6	70.0	76.3	51.6	60.0	69.6	82.2	$8,079	$717	$7,362
Harry M Arndt Middle	Public	7-8	3350 34th Street Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 256-9545	601	36	16.7	99.5%	275 (45.8%)	44 (7.3%)	204 (33.9%)	28 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.3%)	53.2	368^th of 778 public middle schools	52.7%		49.2	392^nd of 773 public middle schools	49.3%	24		56.2	53.1		56.7	51.1	72.4	$7,986	$496	$7,490
Northview Middle	Public	6-8	302 28th Avenue NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 327-6300	481	28	17.3	99.4%	191 (39.7%)	86 (17.9%)	110 (22.9%)	24 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (14.1%)	42	463^rd of 778 public middle schools	40.5%		40.4	468^th of 773 public middle schools	39.5%	5	59.1	43.8	49.4	53.2	47.9	52.1	60.2	$8,178	$747	$7,431
Granite Falls Middle	Public	6-8	4 West Highland Ave	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2341	518	34	15.3	99.4%	402 (77.6%)	16 (3.1%)	65 (12.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.0%)	47.2	420^th of 778 public middle schools	46.0%		65.9	243^rd of 773 public middle schools	68.6%	177	58.6	42.1	53.5	49.7	53.9	63.0	61.8	$9,031	$920	$8,111
Hudson Middle	Public	6-8	291 Pine Mountain Road	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-4281	551	33	16.6	98.9%	456 (82.8%)	6 (1.1%)	66 (12.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.6%)	55.2	350^th of 778 public middle schools	55.0%		47.8	407^th of 773 public middle schools	47.3%	57	56.3	50.5	59.3	59.9	49.2	61.0	75.6	$9,317	$1,021	$8,296
William Lenoir Middle	Public	6-8	1366 Wildcat Trail	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 726-3910	512	30	17.1	98.8%	300 (58.6%)	60 (11.7%)	110 (21.5%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.8%)	39.4	484^th of 778 public middle schools	37.8%		50.9	381^st of 773 public middle schools	50.7%	103	43.6	49.2	51.3	46.4	53.1	51.9	63.3	$9,237	$791	$8,446
Newton-Conover Middle	Public	6-8	873 Northern Dr NW	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 464-4221	559	37	14.9	99.5%	206 (36.9%)	71 (12.7%)	180 (32.2%)	47 (8.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (9.7%)	53.2	370^th of 778 public middle schools	52.4%		52.7	360^th of 773 public middle schools	53.4%	10	60.5	61.2	60.2	45.2	57.4	54.7	64.7	$7,899	$565	$7,334
East Alexander Middle	Public	6-8	1285 White Plains Road	Hiddenite	28636	Alexander County	Alexander County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 632-7565	510	31	16.3	98.8%	375 (73.5%)	27 (5.3%)	83 (16.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.9%)	51.1	388^th of 778 public middle schools	50.1%		53.2	356^th of 773 public middle schools	53.9%	32	52.6	60.6	50.6	44.1	63.3	58.0	65.9	$8,161	$691	$7,470
Grandview Middle	Public	6-8	451 Catawba Valley Boulevard S	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 328-2289	347	24	14.5	99.1%	112 (32.3%)	79 (22.8%)	100 (28.8%)	23 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.2%)	24.3	611^th of 778 public middle schools	21.5%		36.1	504^th of 773 public middle schools	34.8%	107	42.6	53.9	36.0	36.9	38.2	46.3	50.0	$9,432	$1,144	$8,288
River Bend Middle	Public	7-8	4670 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-2754	450	27	16.6	99.3%	211 (46.9%)	29 (6.4%)	85 (18.9%)	74 (16.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (10.9%)	47.7	417^th of 778 public middle schools	46.4%		43.2	448^th of 773 public middle schools	42.0%	31		53.8	59.4		41.0	49.8	73.1	$8,304	$825	$7,479

Frequently Asked Questions about West Alexander Middle

What district is West Alexander Middle in?

Alexander County Schools

What is the racial makeup of West Alexander Middle?

Students at West Alexander Middle are 82% White, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

Is West Alexander Middle a good school?

West Alexander Middle ranks 203^rd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend West Alexander Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 467 students attended West Alexander Middle.

What high school do graduates of West Alexander Middle attend?

Students who attend West Alexander Middle usually go on to attend Alexander Central High

Rate West Alexander Middle!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.