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Owen Middle

Q: Is Owen Middle a good school?

Owen Middle ranks 561 st of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

561^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 27% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Owen Middle is a public middle school located in Swannanoa, North Carolina, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 435 students. It is part of the Buncombe County Schools district, which is ranked 125 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Owen Middle has consistently underperformed compared to the Buncombe County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in terms of proficiency rates on the End-of-Grade (EOG) tests for Mathematics, Reading, and Science. The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, performing relatively well for Multi-racial students and English Language Learners, but struggling with White, Hispanic, and Low Socioeconomic Status students. With over 99% of its students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, Owen Middle serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, which likely contributes to the school's academic struggles.

When compared to other middle schools in the Buncombe County Schools district, Owen Middle generally underperforms. Schools like Cane Creek Middle and North Buncombe Middle significantly outperform Owen Middle in terms of academic proficiency rates and statewide rankings. Despite the overall underperformance, Owen Middle does show some bright spots, such as its relatively strong performance for Multi-racial and English Language Learner students, which could provide valuable insights for improving the school's overall performance.

457

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,287

Per pupil spending ?

96.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

730 Old US 70
Swannanoa, NC 28778

(828) 686-7739

District: Buncombe County Schools

Students who attend Owen Middle usually attend:

High:	Center for Career Innovation
	Nesbitt Discovery Academy
	Owen High

Feeder schools for Owen Middle:

Elementary:	Black Mountain Elementary
	Black Mountain Primary
	Williams Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.0%

Hispanic:

18.6%

Two or more races:

5.0%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Owen Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (42% vs 54% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg54%

561^st of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 27 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th 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	28.6	561 of 773	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	544 of 793	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	484 of 784	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	455 of 786	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.1	344 of 741	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	345 of 737	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	263 of 691	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.2	246 of 694	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.9	246 of 692	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.1	321 of 705	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	50.5	295 of 627	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.3	208 of 673	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.5	403 of 662	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.5	378 of 648	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.3	356 of 640	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	57.4	322 of 630	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	67.1	206 of 620	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.4	154 of 606	74.6%	★★★★☆
2006	72.1	142 of 598	76.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	25.8	365 of 449	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.4	283 of 478	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.7	122 of 504	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	59.3	114 of 475	76.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.2	184 of 371	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.1	335 of 356	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	289 of 318	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	510 of 733	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.5	528 of 738	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.1	457 of 731	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	454 of 733	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.6	366 of 706	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.9	320 of 684	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	268 of 656	59.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	350 of 458	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.2	274 of 461	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.6	226 of 452	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.5	198 of 450	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.2	135 of 448	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	51.1	268 of 416	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	388 of 562	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.5	492 of 564	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	402 of 553	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	405 of 541	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.9	341 of 522	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.0	344 of 493	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.6	180 of 472	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	599 of 729	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	591 of 743	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.4	499 of 735	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.2	323 of 689	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.9	212 of 633	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.2	181 of 639	71.7%	★★★★☆
2018	65.8	162 of 604	73.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.8	563 of 733	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.1	495 of 751	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	478 of 747	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.2	422 of 748	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.1	290 of 711	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.0	339 of 697	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.5	244 of 665	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	57.1	117 of 306	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.9	111 of 283	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.5	175 of 237	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	27.4	367 of 473	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.6	596 of 649	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	571 of 652	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	549 of 656	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	521 of 658	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.6	426 of 632	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.5	432 of 624	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.3	348 of 596	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2024)62nd percentile+30 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)50th percentile+23 vs school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)24th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2024)22nd percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2022)19th percentile-23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)8th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science55%-5 vs state

Reading42%-11 vs state

Mathematics37%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Owen 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
Owen Middle	Public	6-8	730 Old US 70	Swannanoa	28778	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 686-7739	457	33	13.7	96.7%	329 (72.0%)	15 (3.3%)	85 (18.6%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.0%)	28.6	561^st of 773 public middle schools	27.4%		33.6	544^th of 793 public middle schools	31.4%	17		36.3	43.8	30.2		34.4	45.8	47.5		54.7	$10,287	$730	$9,558
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
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
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
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
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%)	72.9	182^nd of 773 public middle schools	76.5%		80.1	131^st of 793 public middle schools	83.5%	51			75.0	61.0			60.7	53.7		74.0	$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)	66.5	66.8			61.9	61.3			67.2		$9,704	$1,139	$8,564
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 Owen Middle

What is the racial makeup of Owen Middle?

Students at Owen Middle are 72% White, 19% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What high school do graduates of Owen Middle attend?

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

Is Owen Middle a good school?

Owen Middle ranks 561^st of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Owen Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 457 students attended Owen Middle.

What district is Owen Middle in?

Buncombe County Schools

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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.