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William Lenoir Middle

Q: Is William Lenoir Middle a good school?

William Lenoir Middle ranks 484 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend William Lenoir Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 512 students attended William Lenoir Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of William Lenoir Middle?

Students at William Lenoir Middle are 59% White, 21% Hispanic, 12% African American, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Q: What high school do graduates of William Lenoir Middle attend?

Students who attend William Lenoir Middle usually go on to attend Hibriten High

Public Grades 6-8

484^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 38% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

William Lenoir Middle is a public middle school in Lenoir, NC, serving about 512 students in grades 6–8 as part of Caldwell County Schools. The school currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking 484th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools (38th percentile)—a decline from its 3-star standing in the two previous years. Compared with nearby schools, William Lenoir trails Hudson Middle (55th percentile) and Granite Falls Middle (46th percentile) but outperforms Gamewell Middle (16th percentile). Like nearly all nearby middle schools, it serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, with 98.83% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academic results vary substantially by grade and subject. The school matches or exceeds its district average in 7th grade math, 7th grade reading, 8th grade math, and 8th grade science. However, 6th grade is a clear trouble spot—especially math, where only 43.6% of students are proficient versus 59.2% statewide. A persistent gender gap also stands out: female students rank in the 23rd percentile relative to female students statewide, while male students rank in the 52nd percentile. Special education students (6th percentile) and English Language Learners (13th percentile) show urgent needs, while gifted students perform well at the 61st percentile.

There are encouraging signs too. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 40.3% to 23.2% over three years, and 8th grade science has been a genuine strength, though proficiency recently dipped from 83.1% to 63.3%. The school also spends more per student ($9,237) than many nearby schools, including higher-performing ones. Nearby West Alexander Middle and Heritage Middle achieve stronger academic results while serving virtually identical high-poverty populations. This suggests demographics don't tell the whole story—targeted, data-driven supports could make a real difference at William Lenoir.

512

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1366 Wildcat Trail
Lenoir, NC 28645

(828) 726-3910

District: Caldwell County Schools

Students who attend William Lenoir Middle usually attend:

High:

Hibriten High

Feeder schools for William Lenoir Middle:

Elementary:

Lower Creek Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.6%

Hispanic:

21.5%

African American:

11.7%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare William Lenoir Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (51% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg58%

484^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 30 pts since 2016

From top 32% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

162^nd of 246Caldwell 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	39.4	484 of 778	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.9	381 of 773	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	351 of 793	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.3	446 of 784	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.5	427 of 786	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.4	367 of 741	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.8	349 of 737	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.1	222 of 691	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	68.1	211 of 694	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.5	220 of 692	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.8	240 of 705	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.0	244 of 627	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.9	308 of 673	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	77.5	116 of 662	82.5%	★★★★☆
2011	73.1	167 of 648	74.2%	★★★★☆
2010	70.8	180 of 640	71.9%	★★★★☆
2009	66.7	219 of 630	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.4	190 of 620	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	64.5	232 of 606	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.3	195 of 598	67.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	489 of 553	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.0	372 of 546	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.1	267 of 560	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.1	410 of 559	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	352 of 550	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.4	284 of 533	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	237 of 519	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.8	164 of 494	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	12.6	447 of 449	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	56.5	125 of 478	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	29.5	398 of 504	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.4	183 of 475	61.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	316 of 363	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.6	181 of 371	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.0	144 of 356	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.6	192 of 318	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	187 of 312	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.4	84 of 236	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	563 of 731	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.0	428 of 733	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	413 of 738	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.4	478 of 731	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	466 of 733	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	388 of 706	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.9	333 of 684	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	240 of 656	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.7	181 of 465	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.2	138 of 458	69.9%	★★★★☆
2024	47.2	318 of 461	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.9	417 of 452	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	44.5	331 of 450	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.3	313 of 448	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.6	237 of 416	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	318 of 566	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.5	178 of 562	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.9	267 of 564	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.4	275 of 553	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.7	390 of 541	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.3	249 of 522	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.8	195 of 493	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.5	167 of 472	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	399 of 725	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.9	332 of 729	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	312 of 743	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.9	404 of 735	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.6	339 of 689	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.3	178 of 633	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	57.2	235 of 639	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.0	122 of 604	79.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	353 of 736	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.3	276 of 733	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	270 of 751	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.1	391 of 747	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.1	362 of 748	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.9	315 of 711	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.7	345 of 697	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.4	200 of 665	69.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.6	198 of 333	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.6	96 of 328	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	74.4	59 of 306	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	48.0	152 of 302	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.4	161 of 283	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.8	136 of 248	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.0	143 of 237	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.0	79 of 221	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.1	472 of 500	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.4	371 of 478	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	501 of 644	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.5	433 of 649	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	414 of 652	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.2	551 of 656	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	466 of 658	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.9	430 of 632	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	401 of 624	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.0	251 of 596	57.9%	★★★☆☆

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)61st percentile+23 vs school

Male (2026)52nd percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile+6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)41st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)13th percentile-25 vs school

African American (2026)12th percentile-26 vs school

Special Education (2026)6th percentile-32 vs school

Disabled (2022)<1st percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science63%-5 vs state

Reading50%-5 vs state

Mathematics48%-8 vs state

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Schools Near William Lenoir 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/reduced lunch	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
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		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
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		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
Gamewell Middle	Public	6-8	3210 Gamewell School Road	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6204	457	30	15.3		282 (61.7%)	47 (10.3%)	89 (19.5%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.7%)	19.7	652^nd of 778 public middle schools	16.2%		18.6	648^th of 773 public middle schools	16.2%	4	40.8	37.8	26.8	44.2	48.1	34.2	47.7	$8,743	$1,279	$7,464
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		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
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		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
Heritage Middle	Public	6-8	1951 Enon Road	Valdese	28690	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 874-0731	475	29	16.1		349 (73.5%)	19 (4.0%)	43 (9.1%)	30 (6.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (6.3%)	61.7	280^th of 778 public middle schools	64.0%		66.5	237^th of 773 public middle schools	69.3%	43	55.3	66.3	73.5	50.0	62.6	53.2	76.9	$8,601	$890	$7,711
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		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
East Burke Middle	Public	6-8	3519 Miller Bridge Road	Connelly Springs	28612	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 397-7446	630	40	15.9		459 (72.9%)	14 (2.2%)	59 (9.4%)	58 (9.2%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	32 (5.1%)	64.9	249^th of 778 public middle schools	68.0%		50.7	383^rd of 773 public middle schools	50.5%	134	74.1	58.9	57.9	56.2	61.1	59.5	74.4	$8,638	$679	$7,959
Walter R Johnson Middle	Public	6-8	701 Lenoir Road	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 430-7340	441	34	12.9		94 (21.3%)	24 (5.4%)	284 (64.4%)	13 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.9%)	43.4	450^th of 778 public middle schools	42.2%		29.2	554^th of 773 public middle schools	28.3%	104	45.9	57.5	71.1	40.1	46.2	45.3	72.7	$8,789	$1,074	$7,715
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		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

Frequently Asked Questions about William Lenoir Middle

What is the racial makeup of William Lenoir Middle?

Students at William Lenoir Middle are 59% White, 21% Hispanic, 12% African American, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is William Lenoir Middle in?

Caldwell County Schools

What high school do graduates of William Lenoir Middle attend?

Students who attend William Lenoir Middle usually go on to attend Hibriten High

Is William Lenoir Middle a good school?

William Lenoir Middle ranks 484^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend William Lenoir Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 512 students attended William Lenoir Middle.

Rate William Lenoir 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.