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Erwin Middle

Q: Is Erwin Middle a good school?

Erwin Middle ranks in the bottom 15.3% of North Carolina middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Erwin Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 545 students attended Erwin Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Erwin Middle?

Students at Erwin Middle are 51% White, 36% Hispanic, 7% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

Q: What high school do graduates of Erwin Middle attend?

Students who attend Erwin Middle usually go on to attend Center for Career Innovation

Public Grades 7-8

659^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 15% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Erwin Middle in Asheville, NC, is a public school in the Buncombe County Schools district that serves 545 students in 7th and 8th grades from a largely low-income community on the city's west side. Nearly every student (99.45%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school's academic standing has slipped sharply over the past decade, falling from the 45th percentile statewide in 2015-16 to the 15th percentile today, a 1-star rating that places Erwin near the bottom of North Carolina's middle schools.

Erwin trails its district and the state by double digits in every tested subject. Just 28.6% of Erwin 8th graders are proficient in math versus 53.0% districtwide, and only 34.4% are proficient in reading compared with 54.6%. The gap is especially striking next to North Buncombe Middle, located under eight miles away, which serves the same grades and a nearly identical poverty rate (98.8%) yet scores in the 79th percentile statewide, with 66.5% of 8th graders proficient in math, more than double Erwin's rate. Other nearby schools like Valley Springs Middle and Reynolds Middle also post far stronger results while serving similar student populations, showing that high poverty alone does not make these outcomes inevitable.

Erwin's most distinctive operational challenge is chronic absenteeism. In 2024-25, 32.5% of its students were chronically absent, nearly double the district rate of 18.7% and the highest among nearby middle schools. That figure has improved since peaking at 43.7% during the pandemic, but roughly one in three students is still missing enough school to disrupt learning. Notably, Erwin's staffing is not the issue: its 13.7 student-teacher ratio is among the most favorable in the area. The school's feeder, Eblen Intermediate, shows similar academic struggles, and Erwin's own 8th-grade scores drop well below its 7th-grade results, suggesting students need stronger interventions during the middle school years, with a focus on attendance, academic acceleration, and wrap-around supports.

545

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

20 Erwin Middle School Road
Asheville, NC 28806-2105

(828) 232-4264

District: Buncombe County Schools

Students who attend Erwin Middle usually attend:

High:	Center for Career Innovation
	Erwin High
	Nesbitt Discovery Academy

Feeder schools for Erwin Middle:

Elementary:	Emma Elementary
	Johnston Elementary
	Leicester Elementary
	West Buncombe Elementary
	More...
	Woodfin Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.8%

Hispanic:

35.6%

African American:

7.3%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Erwin Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2016 → 15th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg58%

659^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 30 pts since 2016

From bottom 45% (2016) to bottom 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

109^th of 246Buncombe 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	18.9	659 of 778	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.8	639 of 773	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	606 of 793	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	514 of 784	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.1	518 of 786	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	428 of 741	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.6	550 of 737	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.0	482 of 691	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.9	444 of 694	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	47.1	379 of 692	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.8	411 of 705	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.6	322 of 627	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.7	349 of 673	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.4	463 of 662	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.9	437 of 648	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.6	417 of 640	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	52.9	361 of 630	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.0	308 of 620	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.9	342 of 606	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	52.8	336 of 598	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.8	543 of 553	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.3	518 of 546	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	544 of 560	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	543 of 559	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	508 of 550	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.3	427 of 533	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	486 of 519	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.7	391 of 494	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	28.7	336 of 449	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.9	305 of 504	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.6	417 of 475	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.3	312 of 363	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.0	339 of 371	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	314 of 356	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	218 of 318	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.6	169 of 236	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	185 of 211	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	127 of 151	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.2	668 of 731	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.9	627 of 733	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	546 of 738	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.4	431 of 731	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.4	473 of 733	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.0	414 of 706	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.1	540 of 684	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.0	480 of 656	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	242 of 465	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.5	390 of 458	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	65.8	137 of 461	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	63.0	184 of 452	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.7	285 of 450	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	78.2	25 of 448	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	60.8	183 of 416	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.3	520 of 566	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.9	525 of 562	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.8	462 of 564	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.3	395 of 553	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	420 of 541	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.7	316 of 522	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.9	431 of 493	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	407 of 472	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	574 of 725	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.5	575 of 729	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.0	580 of 743	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.0	414 of 735	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	331 of 689	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.3	216 of 633	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.3	399 of 639	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.4	328 of 604	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	590 of 736	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.5	613 of 733	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	618 of 751	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	575 of 747	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.6	511 of 748	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.1	414 of 711	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	535 of 697	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	482 of 665	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.7	332 of 333	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.3	312 of 328	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	285 of 302	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	224 of 283	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	221 of 248	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	217 of 237	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	32.2	174 of 221	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	465 of 500	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	439 of 473	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	595 of 644	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.1	591 of 649	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	564 of 652	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	499 of 656	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	519 of 658	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.7	448 of 632	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	554 of 624	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	529 of 596	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)48th percentile+33 vs school

Disabled (2022)25th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)14th percentile~ school

Female (2026)9th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)8th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)8th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2026)7th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2026)2nd percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)<1st percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science51%-18 vs state

Reading38%-18 vs state

Mathematics36%-18 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Friday, May 20, 2016

The biggest strength of this school is it's diverse student population. It also has a great athletic program. Many of the students at this school face unbelievable hardships in their lives, and sometimes those hardships show up at school. Students must learn to coexist with other kids who are of different races, religions, and economic backgrounds than their own. This school provides a unique learning experience and I plan to send my own children here. Close Quote

Schools Near Erwin 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 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
Erwin Middle	Public	7-8	20 Erwin Middle School Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4264	545	40	13.7	99.4%	277 (50.8%)	40 (7.3%)	194 (35.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.5%)	23 (4.2%)	18.9	659^th of 778 public middle schools	15.3%		19.8	639^th of 773 public middle schools	17.3%	20			43.0	28.6			41.9	34.4		50.8	$9,336	$764	$8,571
Eblen Intermediate	Public	5-6	59 Lee's Creek Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 255-5757	566	38	14.9	99.3%	301 (53.2%)	49 (8.7%)	187 (33.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	22 (3.9%)								(n/a)	50.2	51.3			44.0	42.3			59.0		$9,206	$1,398	$7,808
Asheville Middle	Public	6-8	211 S French Broad Avenue	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-6200	670	59	11.3	50.9%	383 (57.2%)	145 (21.6%)	74 (11.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.5%)	53 (7.9%)	59.1	314^th of 778 public middle schools	59.6%		51	380^th of 773 public middle schools	50.8%	66		55.2	59.6	45.9		57.5	61.9	66.5		74.2	$12,770	$724	$12,046
Enka Middle	Public	7-8	390 Asbury Road	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 670-5010	588	37	16.0	99.5%	379 (64.5%)	28 (4.8%)	146 (24.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (5.1%)	34.8	515^th of 778 public middle schools	33.8%		30.2	546^th of 773 public middle schools	29.4%	31			44.5	40.9			47.5	45.7		66.9	$9,775	$826	$8,949
Enka Intermediate	Public	5-6	125 Asheville Commerce Parkway	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 255-1380	585	39	14.8	99.5%	380 (65.0%)	22 (3.8%)	154 (26.3%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (3.4%)								(n/a)	54.9	52.0			51.6	49.1			67.2		$9,013	$1,227	$7,786
North Buncombe Middle	Public	7-8	51 N Buncombe School Road	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 645-7944	516	36	14.4	98.8%	413 (80.0%)	2 (0.4%)	72 (14.0%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.7%)	76.8	160^th of 778 public middle schools	79.4%		72.9	182^nd of 773 public middle schools	76.5%	22			71.1	66.5			64.2	67.7		80.5	$9,771	$846	$8,925
North Windy Ridge Intermediate	Public	5-6	20 Doan Road	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 658-1892	487	33	14.8	98.2%	370 (76.0%)	5 (1.0%)	93 (19.1%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.7%)								(n/a)	69.4	70.1			68.0	66.0			71.6		$9,704	$1,139	$8,564
Reynolds Middle	Public	6-8	2 Rocket Drive	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 298-7484	490	33	15.0	98.2%	256 (52.2%)	102 (20.8%)	82 (16.7%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.4%)	50.9	389^th of 778 public middle schools	50.0%		47.9	405^th of 773 public middle schools	47.6%	16		50.0	58.3	50.9		52.4	57.6	56.0		70.8	$10,391	$728	$9,664
Valley Springs Middle	Public	5-8	224 Long Shoals Road	Arden	28704	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 654-1785	654	46	14.3	99.5%	335 (51.2%)	71 (10.9%)	176 (26.9%)	21 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	45 (6.9%)	69.8	209^th of 778 public middle schools	73.1%		62.6	265^th of 773 public middle schools	65.7%	56			58.3	70.8			58.6	64.0		81.2	$11,876	$1,485	$10,391
Koontz Intermediate	Public	5-6	305 Overlook Road	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 684-1295	725	40	18.1	99.2%	389 (53.7%)	84 (11.6%)	158 (21.8%)	31 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	58 (8.0%)								(n/a)	58.8	52.0			55.2	55.3			61.6		$8,533	$972	$7,561

Frequently Asked Questions about Erwin Middle

What is the racial makeup of Erwin Middle?

Students at Erwin Middle are 51% White, 36% Hispanic, 7% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

What district is Erwin Middle in?

Buncombe County Schools

Is Erwin Middle a good school?

Erwin Middle ranks in the bottom 15.3% of North Carolina middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Erwin Middle attend?

Students who attend Erwin Middle usually go on to attend Center for Career Innovation

How many students attend Erwin Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 545 students attended Erwin Middle.

Rate Erwin 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.