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Valley Springs Middle

Q: Is Valley Springs Middle a good school?

Valley Springs Middle ranks 265 th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

265^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 66% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Valley Springs Middle is a public middle school located in Arden, North Carolina, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 634 students. The school is part of the Buncombe County Schools district, which is ranked 125 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Valley Springs Middle has consistently ranked in the top half of North Carolina middle schools, with a ranking between 111 and 312 out of 700+ schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on state assessments is generally above the Buncombe County and North Carolina averages, particularly in mathematics and science. For example, in 2024-2025, 60.1% of 7th graders and 60.8% of 8th graders at Valley Springs Middle were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 55.6% and 45.4% for Buncombe County, and 53.5% and 48.7% for the state. However, the school struggles with its African American and English Language Learner student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 30-40% of North Carolina middle schools.

Among the nearby middle schools, Cane Creek Middle stands out with consistently high academic performance, ranking in the top 15% of North Carolina middle schools. In contrast, Erwin Middle and Enka Middle have struggled, ranking in the bottom 30-40% of North Carolina middle schools. This highlights the variability in academic achievement within the Buncombe County district, suggesting that factors beyond just district-level policies may be at play.

654

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,876

Per pupil spending ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

224 Long Shoals Road
Arden, NC 28704-9703

(828) 654-1785

District: Buncombe County Schools

Students who attend Valley Springs Middle usually attend:

High:	Center for Career Innovation
	Nesbitt Discovery Academy
	Roberson High

Feeder schools for Valley Springs Middle:

Elementary:	Avery's Creek Elementary
	Estes Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.2%

Hispanic:

26.9%

African American:

10.9%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Valley Springs Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2015 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (59% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg54%

265^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 21% (2015) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Middle Schools in the Buncombe County Schools

125^th of 242Buncombe 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
2025	62.6	265 of 773	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.1	312 of 793	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.8	226 of 784	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	65.8	239 of 786	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.1	207 of 741	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	57.9	309 of 737	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.9	171 of 691	75.3%	★★★★☆
2017	80.6	111 of 694	84.0%	★★★★☆
2016	80.5	108 of 692	84.4%	★★★★☆
2015	75.8	148 of 705	79.0%	★★★★☆
2014	74.7	143 of 627	77.2%	★★★★☆
2013	84.6	78 of 673	88.4%	★★★★☆
2012	72.3	174 of 662	73.7%	★★★★☆
2011	75.0	148 of 648	77.2%	★★★★☆
2010	73.1	156 of 640	75.6%	★★★★☆
2009	74.7	154 of 630	75.6%	★★★★☆
2008	80.4	89 of 620	85.6%	★★★★☆
2007	80.7	62 of 606	89.8%	★★★★☆
2006	82.7	54 of 598	91.0%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.3	391 of 546	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	470 of 560	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	414 of 559	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	394 of 550	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.3	162 of 533	69.6%	★★★★☆
2019	42.4	300 of 519	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.4	112 of 494	77.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.0	46 of 111	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.5	65 of 109	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.8	50 of 99	49.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	49.6	157 of 449	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.7	392 of 478	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.9	360 of 504	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.5	248 of 475	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	210 of 371	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.9	255 of 356	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.0	225 of 318	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.0	140 of 312	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.9	167 of 236	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	70 of 211	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.0	15 of 151	90.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	64.0	232 of 733	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	263 of 738	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.2	259 of 731	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.0	253 of 733	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.0	199 of 706	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	55.5	308 of 684	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.4	194 of 656	70.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	291 of 458	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.6	140 of 461	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.1	67 of 452	85.2%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	142 of 450	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.3	134 of 448	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	64.7	137 of 416	67.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	303 of 562	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	293 of 564	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.0	244 of 553	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	235 of 541	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.3	210 of 522	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.4	348 of 493	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	65.0	121 of 472	74.4%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	14.3	49 of 50	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	57.2	265 of 729	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.3	400 of 743	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.7	325 of 735	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	182 of 689	73.6%	★★★★☆
2021	70.2	123 of 633	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	50.9	300 of 639	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	174 of 604	71.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	275 of 733	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.8	367 of 751	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.5	207 of 747	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	67.5	207 of 748	72.3%	★★★★☆
2021	67.5	201 of 711	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.5	290 of 697	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.6	148 of 665	77.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	57.8	122 of 328	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.3	167 of 306	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.2	88 of 302	70.9%	★★★★☆
2022	47.3	141 of 283	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.6	73 of 248	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	31.0	185 of 237	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.3	151 of 221	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	317 of 478	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.0	188 of 473	60.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	180 of 649	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	68.2	185 of 652	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.6	123 of 656	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	75.8	148 of 658	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	77.8	118 of 632	81.3%	★★★★☆
2019	60.9	237 of 624	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.9	193 of 596	67.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2025)72nd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)68th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)65th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)63rd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)62nd percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)59th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile-20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)43rd percentile-22 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)36th percentile-29 vs school

Special Education (2025)34th percentile-32 vs school

African American (2025)28th percentile-37 vs school

Homeless (2023)2nd percentile-69 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science65%+4 vs state

Mathematics60%+9 vs state

Reading54%~ state avg

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Schools Near Valley Springs Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)				EOG Reading (2025)				EOG Science (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
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%)	62.6	265^th of 773 public middle schools	65.7%		57.1	312^th of 793 public middle schools	60.7%	47			60.1	60.8			56.4	51.8		64.6	$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)	50.0	57.8			52.4	53.0			56.7		$8,533	$972	$7,561
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%)	47.9	405^th of 773 public middle schools	47.6%		54.5	342^nd of 793 public middle schools	56.9%	63		44.4	50.9	54.4		46.6	48.5	55.3		59.6	$10,391	$728	$9,664
Cane Creek Middle	Public	6-8	570 Lower Brush Creek Road	Fletcher	28732	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 628-0824	499	33	14.9	98.0%	409 (82.0%)	17 (3.4%)	51 (10.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.4%)	83.7	106^th of 773 public middle schools	86.3%		83.3	108^th of 793 public middle schools	86.4%	2		70.4	75.7	62.7		62.9	68.9	74.6		79.5	$9,589	$601	$8,988
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)	48.2	57.2			41.6	51.5			61.6		$9,013	$1,227	$7,786
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%)	51	380^th of 773 public middle schools	50.8%		60.1	287^th of 793 public middle schools	63.8%	93		50.5	50.0	41.7		56.9	51.2	57.8		62.1	$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%)	30.2	546^th of 773 public middle schools	29.4%		36	524^th of 793 public middle schools	33.9%	22			46.0	25.3			41.2	40.2		56.9	$9,775	$826	$8,949
Rugby Middle	Public	6-8	3345 Haywood Road	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 891-6566	849	51	16.6	39.6%	658 (77.5%)	14 (1.6%)	133 (15.7%)	12 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (3.5%)	81	128^th of 773 public middle schools	83.4%		81.1	122^nd of 793 public middle schools	84.6%	6		70.9	70.2	71.6		69.5	60.7	65.2		77.1	$8,445	$526	$7,919
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)	35.9	44.0			37.5	32.5			53.4		$9,206	$1,398	$7,808
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%)	19.8	639^th of 773 public middle schools	17.3%		25.7	606^th of 793 public middle schools	23.6%	33			38.7	24.8			30.9	37.4		48.2	$9,336	$764	$8,571

Frequently Asked Questions about Valley Springs Middle

How many students attend Valley Springs Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 654 students attended Valley Springs Middle.

What district is Valley Springs Middle in?

Buncombe County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Valley Springs Middle?

Students at Valley Springs Middle are 51% White, 27% Hispanic, 11% African American, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Valley Springs Middle a good school?

Valley Springs Middle ranks 265^th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Valley Springs Middle attend?

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

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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.