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River Bend Middle

Q: Is River Bend Middle a good school?

River Bend Middle ranks 417 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

417^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 46% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

River Bend Middle is a grades 7–8 middle school in Claremont, NC, serving about 450 students in Catawba County Schools. The school currently holds a 2-star rating, placing it in the 46th percentile of North Carolina middle schools, though its state rank has shown steady improvement over the last two years. Like many schools in the surrounding area, River Bend serves a very high-poverty population, with over 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

River Bend’s academic profile is highly subject-specific. The school’s most obvious strengths are in 8th-grade math and science, where proficiency rates exceed state averages. Its 8th-grade science scores also surpass those of nearby Newton-Conover Middle, a school with nearly identical economic demographics. Reading, however, is a significant trouble spot. In 7th grade, only 41% of students are proficient, compared to 56% statewide. Maiden Middle School, which serves a similarly high-poverty population just over 13 miles away, posts a 61.6% proficiency rate in 7th-grade reading—a gap that points to school-specific instructional challenges rather than demographic destiny. Mill Creek Middle, another nearby school with a much lower poverty rate, outperforms River Bend in every tested subject.

There are encouraging signs on the horizon. Chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically, from nearly 29% to 20.6%, which is now below the statewide average. Hispanic students and English Learners have shown notable academic success, and low-income students at River Bend perform near the statewide median. The most urgent area for improvement is support for special education students, whose outcomes currently rank in the bottom 14th percentile statewide. If the school can translate its success with English Learners and its strong math and science instruction into broader literacy gains, its overall state rating is likely to improve in the coming years.

450

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

4670 Oxford School Road
Claremont, NC 28610

(828) 241-2754

District: Catawba County Schools

Students who attend River Bend Middle usually attend:

High:

Bunker Hill High

Feeder schools for River Bend Middle:

Elementary:	Claremont Elementary
	Lyle Creek Elementary
	Oxford Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.9%

Hispanic:

18.9%

Asian:

16.4%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare River Bend Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 37th percentile in 2024 → 46th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 46th (2026) from a 37th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

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

!Reading scores 11 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg58%

417^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

87^th of 246Catawba 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	47.7	417 of 778	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.2	448 of 773	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.9	497 of 793	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	478 of 784	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.1	365 of 786	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.2	317 of 741	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.2	363 of 737	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.5	300 of 691	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.4	387 of 694	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	53.7	323 of 692	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	44.9	398 of 705	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	37.5	387 of 627	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.0	402 of 673	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	64.9	253 of 662	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.7	310 of 648	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.2	307 of 640	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.3	268 of 630	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	51.0	343 of 620	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	52.4	336 of 606	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	54.1	317 of 598	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	430 of 553	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	548 of 560	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	455 of 559	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	60.9	127 of 533	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	41.1	314 of 519	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.7	136 of 494	72.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.3	100 of 121	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.6	108 of 111	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.6	109 of 110	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	100 of 110	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	92 of 109	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	87 of 99	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.3	92 of 102	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	80 of 95	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	19.0	425 of 449	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	52.0	164 of 478	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.9	174 of 504	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.8	196 of 475	58.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.9	124 of 363	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.1	148 of 371	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	94 of 356	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	38.8	186 of 318	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	77.1	22 of 312	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	47.3	85 of 236	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.6	112 of 211	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.5	123 of 151	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.1	420 of 731	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.7	457 of 733	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.4	428 of 738	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	451 of 731	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.6	346 of 733	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.0	301 of 706	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	420 of 684	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.6	236 of 656	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	56.2	242 of 461	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.7	292 of 452	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	71.1	67 of 450	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	71.8	98 of 448	78.1%	★★★★☆
2019	74.3	15 of 416	96.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	207 of 566	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.8	142 of 562	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	56.0	214 of 564	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.0	313 of 553	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.6	186 of 541	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	246 of 522	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	228 of 493	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.4	262 of 472	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.3	344 of 725	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.7	378 of 729	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	387 of 743	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.9	406 of 735	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.0	220 of 689	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.2	100 of 633	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	66.7	161 of 639	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	74.2	97 of 604	83.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	380 of 736	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.0	410 of 733	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	513 of 751	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	477 of 747	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.7	354 of 748	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.2	311 of 711	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	287 of 697	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.3	330 of 665	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	265 of 333	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.0	279 of 328	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	273 of 306	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.2	228 of 302	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.0	172 of 283	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.9	90 of 248	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	68 of 237	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	42.6	129 of 221	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.4	428 of 500	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.9	437 of 478	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	423 of 473	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.9	450 of 644	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.5	510 of 649	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	527 of 652	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	575 of 656	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.8	446 of 658	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	405 of 632	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.2	497 of 624	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.4	356 of 596	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)66th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)63rd percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)53rd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)48th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2024)48th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)43rd percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile-16 vs school

African American (2026)22nd percentile-24 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)20th percentile-26 vs school

Asian (2026)17th percentile-29 vs school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile-32 vs school

Disabled (2022)5th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science73%+5 vs state

Mathematics57%~ state avg

Reading45%-11 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Friday, June 27, 2014

As a teacher at River Bend Middle, I urge you to look beyond the test scores. What they don't show you is the incredible amount of growth we achieve with our students. River Bend is a safe, welcoming environment with a lot of diversity. The staff is much more than just teachers in a school building. They genuinely care about the well-being of their students, both intellectually and physically. River Bend is a family. After our students move on to high school, many come back to tell us that their time at River Bend was the best 2 years of their education. Close Quote

Schools Near River Bend 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 (2024-25)	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
River Bend Middle	Public	7-8	4670 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-2754	450	27	16.6	—	211 (46.9%)	29 (6.4%)	85 (18.9%)	74 (16.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (10.9%)	47.7	417^th of 778 public middle schools	46.4%		43.2	448^th of 773 public middle schools	42.0%	31		53.8	59.4		41.0	49.8	73.1	$8,304	$825	$7,479
Newton-Conover Middle	Public	6-8	873 Northern Dr NW	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 464-4221	559	37	14.9	—	206 (36.9%)	71 (12.7%)	180 (32.2%)	47 (8.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (9.7%)	53.2	370^th of 778 public middle schools	52.4%		52.7	360^th of 773 public middle schools	53.4%	10	60.5	61.2	60.2	45.2	57.4	54.7	64.7	$7,899	$565	$7,334
Mill Creek Middle	Public	7-8	1041 Shiloh Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-1494	477	30	16.1	45.9%	353 (74.0%)	29 (6.1%)	54 (11.3%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.3%)	63.8	258^th of 778 public middle schools	66.8%		51.7	373^rd of 773 public middle schools	51.7%	115		62.3	60.0		51.8	63.3	78.0	$8,693	$756	$7,937
West Iredell Middle	Public	6-8	303 Watermelon Rd	Statesville	28625	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 873-2887	521	28	18.6	—	280 (53.7%)	63 (12.1%)	122 (23.4%)	17 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.3%)	29.7	560^th of 778 public middle schools	28.0%		24.9	589^th of 773 public middle schools	23.8%	29	41.0	42.1	43.5	38.8	46.4	42.4	69.4	$8,394	$737	$7,657
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
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 Alexander Middle	Public	6-8	1285 White Plains Road	Hiddenite	28636	Alexander County	Alexander County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 632-7565	510	31	16.3	—	375 (73.5%)	27 (5.3%)	83 (16.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.9%)	51.1	388^th of 778 public middle schools	50.1%		53.2	356^th of 773 public middle schools	53.9%	32	52.6	60.6	50.6	44.1	63.3	58.0	65.9	$8,161	$691	$7,470
Grandview Middle	Public	6-8	451 Catawba Valley Boulevard S	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 328-2289	347	24	14.5	—	112 (32.3%)	79 (22.8%)	100 (28.8%)	23 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.2%)	24.3	611^th of 778 public middle schools	21.5%		36.1	504^th of 773 public middle schools	34.8%	107	42.6	53.9	36.0	36.9	38.2	46.3	50.0	$9,432	$1,144	$8,288
Maiden Middle School	Public	7-8	518 North C Avenue	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 428-2326	451	28	16.4	—	292 (64.7%)	21 (4.7%)	71 (15.7%)	38 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.4%)	56.1	338^th of 778 public middle schools	56.6%		57.8	299^th of 773 public middle schools	61.3%	39		57.3	58.7		61.6	54.3	65.0	$8,168	$563	$7,604
Troutman Middle	Public	6-8	305 Rumple St	Troutman	28166	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 528-5137	470	24	20.0	—	252 (53.6%)	92 (19.6%)	82 (17.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.9%)	32	539^th of 778 public middle schools	30.7%		13.2	700^th of 773 public middle schools	9.4%	161	53.5	41.0	20.2	51.7	54.2	42.0	53.4	$10,019	$865	$9,154

Frequently Asked Questions about River Bend Middle

What district is River Bend Middle in?

Catawba County Schools

What is the racial makeup of River Bend Middle?

Students at River Bend Middle are 47% White, 19% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 6% African American.

How many students attend River Bend Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 450 students attended River Bend Middle.

Is River Bend Middle a good school?

River Bend Middle ranks 417^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of River Bend Middle attend?

Students who attend River Bend Middle usually go on to attend Bunker Hill High

Rate River Bend Middle!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.