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Catamount School

Q: Is Catamount School a good school?

Catamount School ranks 231 st of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

231^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 70% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Catamount School is a very small public middle school in Cullowhee, NC, serving just 64 students in grades 6–8 on a university campus. It operates as its own single-school Catamount School district, which earns 4 stars and ranks 42nd out of 246 North Carolina districts (83rd percentile). The school's own state ranking has climbed from a 2-star, 46th-percentile showing in 2023–2024 to a 4-star, 70th-percentile ranking in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, most recently placing 231st of 778 middle schools.

Catamount's most distinctive feature is its size: roughly 20 students per grade and a student-teacher ratio near 8–10:1, far below the 14–17:1 range seen at Bethel Middle, Waynesville Middle, Swain County Middle School, and Macon Middle School. In the latest testing year, Catamount exceeded the state average in all three middle school math grades, posted an 80% proficiency rate in 8th grade science (state: 68.6%), and led nearby schools in 8th grade reading at 76%. It generally outperforms Swain County Middle and Macon Middle by wide margins and matches or beats Waynesville Middle in most subjects. Bethel Middle, however, ranks higher statewide (181st vs. 231st) despite serving a student body with a 98.8% free/reduced-price lunch rate.

Small cohorts make Catamount's year-to-year data volatile — one student's score can shift a grade-level proficiency rate by about five percentage points, which helps explain swings like 8th grade reading jumping from 34.8% to 76% in two years. Chronic absenteeism has fallen sharply from 46% in 2021–2022 to 26.4%, though that remains slightly above the state average. Academically, female students (85th percentile) and gifted/talented students (89th percentile) perform especially well statewide, while other subgroups rank lower. The clearest soft spot is 6th grade reading at 48% versus 54.8% statewide. Overall, Catamount offers a highly personalized environment with genuine strengths in math and 8th grade outcomes, but families should expect more variability than at larger schools.

Students ?

10.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

37.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 University Drive Reid 100
Cullowhee, NC 28723

(828) 227-7500

District: Catamount School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.8%

American Indian:

7.8%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Catamount School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2019 → 70th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (65% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2019

✓Above the North Carolina median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

North Carolina avg58%

231^st of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 30 pts since 2019

From bottom 40% (2019) to top 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

42^nd of 246Catamount School 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	66.7	231 of 778	70.3%	★★★★☆
2025	67.0	232 of 773	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	45.7	431 of 793	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.1	331 of 784	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	297 of 786	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.8	275 of 741	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.3	442 of 737	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.8	108 of 731	85.2%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	142 of 733	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	33.9	504 of 738	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.8	264 of 731	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	338 of 706	52.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.1	49 of 465	89.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	437 of 729	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	536 of 743	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.3	370 of 735	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	263 of 689	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.6	169 of 639	73.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	307 of 736	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.3	235 of 733	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.0	428 of 751	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.5	273 of 748	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.2	477 of 697	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	396 of 644	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.7	414 of 649	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.2	550 of 652	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.0	441 of 656	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.9	413 of 658	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	347 of 632	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.9	582 of 624	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)89th percentile+19 vs school

Female (2026)85th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2026)58th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)40th percentile-30 vs school

White (2026)39th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+11 vs state

Mathematics62%+6 vs state

Reading62%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Catamount School

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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 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Catamount School	Public	6-8	1 University Drive Reid 100	Cullowhee	28723	Jackson County	Catamount School	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 227-7500	64	6	10.1	37.5%	53 (82.8%)	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.3%)	66.7	231^st of 778 public middle schools	70.3%		67	232^nd of 773 public middle schools	70.0%	1		64.0	61.9	60.0		48.0	61.9	76.0		80.0
Macon Middle School	Public	7-8	1345 Wells Grove Rd	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 524-3766	576	41	13.9	99.5%	402 (69.8%)	6 (1.0%)	149 (25.9%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.3%)	42.5	457^th of 778 public middle schools	41.3%		47.3	411^th of 773 public middle schools	46.8%	46			49.8	55.2			51.2	45.1		64.1	$9,141	$985	$8,156
Mountain View Intermediate	Public	5-6	161 Clarks Chapel Road	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 349-1325	614	37	16.5	99.5%	460 (74.9%)	3 (0.5%)	127 (20.7%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.3%)								(n/a)	57.8	46.3			48.5	45.7			59.7		$8,190	$1,131	$7,059
Waynesville Middle	Public	6-8	495 Brown Ave	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 456-2403	727	45	16.0	97.2%	606 (83.4%)	3 (0.4%)	78 (10.7%)	7 (1.0%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.7%)	63	270^th of 778 public middle schools	65.3%		54.9	328^th of 773 public middle schools	57.6%	58		62.8	64.7	63.6		57.8	60.7	56.1		70.3	$9,343	$1,182	$8,162
Swain County Middle School	Public	6-8	135 Arlington Ave	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-3480	453	27	16.5	99.3%	278 (61.4%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	88 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (11.3%)	42.5	458^th of 778 public middle schools	41.1%		34.4	513^th of 773 public middle schools	33.6%	55		48.7	55.8	44.4		51.3	54.6	48.0		64.5	$12,023	$1,993	$10,030
Bethel Middle	Public	6-8	630 Sonoma Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 646-3442	254	16	15.4	98.8%	228 (89.8%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	74	181^st of 778 public middle schools	76.7%		81.9	117^th of 773 public middle schools	84.9%	64		71.6	55.1	74.1		69.3	57.8	69.4		83.5	$11,023	$637	$10,386

Frequently Asked Questions about Catamount School

What district is Catamount School in?

Catamount School

Is Catamount School a good school?

Catamount School ranks 231^st of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Catamount School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 64 students attended Catamount School.

What is the racial makeup of Catamount School?

Students at Catamount School are 83% White, 8% American Indian, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Hispanic.

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NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Cullowhee, NC

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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.