Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! North Carolina test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings TODAY.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Culbreth Middle

Q: Is Culbreth Middle a good school?

Culbreth Middle ranks 172 nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

172^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 78% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Culbreth Middle is a public 6–8 school in Chapel Hill, NC, serving 632 students as part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools — a district ranked 28th in North Carolina. Culbreth currently holds a 4-star rating and ranks 172nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools (78th percentile) for 2025–26, beating the statewide average in every tested subject and grade. Its ranking slipped after a 5-star peak in 2016–17, but has recovered steadily from 210th (2023–24) to 198th to 172nd.

Within its district, however, Culbreth has the lowest state ranking among the four comparable middle schools. Smith Middle ranks 76th, Phillips Middle 102nd, and McDougle Middle 129th — all of which have outranked Culbreth in each of the past three years. The clearest concern academically is 8th grade math: Culbreth’s 57.7% proficiency rate is barely above the state’s 53.0% and about 20 points behind Smith Middle’s 77.7%. Culbreth also serves a larger share of low-income students than the others — 33.9% free/reduced-price lunch versus roughly 22–28% — which is useful context when comparing test results. Attendance, though, is a clear positive: Culbreth’s chronic absenteeism rate is 13.0%, well under the district average of 19.2% and the state’s 24.2%, and its student-teacher ratio of about 12:1 compares favorably with Smith Middle’s 13.6:1.

Behind the averages, Culbreth’s outcomes vary noticeably across student groups. Gifted students have improved sharply, moving from the 37th to the 72nd percentile in two years, and special education students performed at the 97th percentile statewide in 2024–25. By contrast, low-income students and English language learners currently score near the bottom quartile of schools statewide — around the 15th and 17th percentiles, respectively. Since roughly one-third of Culbreth’s enrollment is low-income, improving outcomes for these students is its most important challenge. Still, Culbreth is a good school with real momentum: it recorded substantial gains in 2025–26 in reading, 6th and 7th grade math, and science. If that trajectory holds — and success extends to all student groups — Culbreth should climb back toward the top 100 in North Carolina.

632

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

33.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

225 Culbreth Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27516-8302

(919) 929-7161

District: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

Students who attend Culbreth Middle usually attend:

High:

Carrboro High

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.4%

Hispanic:

30.1%

African American:

10.9%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Culbreth Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2016 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (69% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of North Carolina middle schools

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg73%

North Carolina avg58%

172^nd of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 22%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 10% (2016) to top 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 246Chapel Hill-Carrboro City 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	75.3	172 of 778	77.9%	★★★★☆
2025	70.3	198 of 773	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.8	210 of 793	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.4	171 of 784	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	82.7	121 of 786	84.6%	★★★★☆
2021	82.3	111 of 741	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	80.5	120 of 737	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	107 of 691	84.5%	★★★★☆
2017	86.0	64 of 694	90.8%	★★★★★
2016	85.3	72 of 692	89.6%	★★★★☆
2015	86.4	71 of 705	89.9%	★★★★★
2014	91.5	41 of 627	93.5%	★★★★★
2013	91.5	46 of 673	93.2%	★★★★★
2012	79.8	92 of 662	86.1%	★★★★☆
2011	82.1	65 of 648	90.0%	★★★★★
2010	82.1	64 of 640	90.0%	★★★★★
2009	84.2	54 of 630	91.4%	★★★★★
2008	89.1	34 of 620	94.5%	★★★★★
2007	81.3	60 of 606	90.1%	★★★★★
2006	81.6	65 of 598	89.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	412 of 553	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.2	410 of 546	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.0	213 of 560	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.6	170 of 559	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.0	120 of 550	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	68.5	90 of 533	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	59.3	153 of 519	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	30.3	375 of 494	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.1	103 of 111	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	85 of 110	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.7	72 of 110	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.5	55 of 109	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.7	43 of 99	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.9	83 of 102	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.4	74 of 95	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	54.8	123 of 449	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	64.4	83 of 478	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	85.0	29 of 504	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	84.3	25 of 475	94.7%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	301 of 363	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.1	320 of 371	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	347 of 356	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	286 of 318	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	215 of 312	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.4	216 of 236	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	48.2	84 of 211	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.3	67 of 151	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.2	154 of 731	78.9%	★★★★☆
2025	71.8	178 of 733	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	66.2	220 of 738	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	74.1	157 of 731	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	136 of 733	81.4%	★★★★☆
2021	74.8	155 of 706	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	77.3	134 of 684	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	76.4	133 of 656	79.7%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.7	130 of 465	72.0%	★★★★☆
2025	57.6	240 of 458	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.4	291 of 461	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.9	268 of 452	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.5	195 of 450	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.7	130 of 448	71.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.7	307 of 566	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.8	407 of 562	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	454 of 564	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	463 of 553	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.9	374 of 541	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.5	358 of 522	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.1	306 of 493	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.5	311 of 472	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	614 of 725	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	663 of 729	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	651 of 743	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	616 of 735	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	487 of 689	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	441 of 633	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.1	490 of 639	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.5	516 of 604	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.7	176 of 736	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	66.4	219 of 733	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	192 of 751	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.2	178 of 747	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	84.4	98 of 748	86.9%	★★★★☆
2021	86.5	71 of 711	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	81.6	104 of 697	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.5	74 of 665	88.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.6	28 of 333	91.6%	★★★★★
2025	84.7	36 of 328	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	89.9	21 of 306	93.1%	★★★★★
2023	86.5	26 of 302	91.4%	★★★★★
2022	84.9	24 of 283	91.5%	★★★★★
2021	90.8	16 of 248	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	72.6	42 of 237	82.3%	★★★★☆
2018	77.6	39 of 221	82.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	120 of 500	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	87.7	13 of 478	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	56.8	129 of 473	72.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.3	43 of 644	93.3%	★★★★★
2025	90.8	43 of 649	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	85.4	80 of 652	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	87.5	59 of 656	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.5	42 of 658	93.6%	★★★★★
2021	90.2	41 of 632	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	89.8	45 of 624	92.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.9	33 of 596	94.5%	★★★★★

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 (2026)93rd percentile+15 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)92nd percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)79th percentile~ school

Male (2026)76th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)76th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)73rd percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)72nd percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)46th percentile-32 vs school

African American (2026)25th percentile-52 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)17th percentile-61 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile-63 vs school

Asian (2025)7th percentile-67 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science75%+7 vs state

Reading69%+13 vs state

Mathematics66%+10 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Culbreth Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, June 1, 2021

all of the teachers really do care for us students and teach us in a good manner and the only reason we should have bad grades is because we dont pay attention in class. this school really makes me and my friends feel at home and we really do love the teachers and the way they teach us is really a good way and i have a redaing disorder and have a conseler and she really seems to care about me. i couldnt ask for a better school and tachers. Close Quote

Schools Near Culbreth Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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 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
Culbreth Middle	Public	6-8	225 Culbreth Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 929-7161	632	52	12.0	33.9%	287 (45.4%)	69 (10.9%)	190 (30.1%)	29 (4.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (8.7%)	75.3	172^nd of 778 public middle schools	77.9%		70.3	198^th of 773 public middle schools	74.4%	26	72.4	68.5	57.7	70.2	69.0	67.7	75.1	$12,195	$336	$11,860
McDougle Middle	Public	6-8	900 Old Fayetteville Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 933-1556	659	57	11.6	27.6%	359 (54.5%)	69 (10.5%)	167 (25.3%)	17 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.1%)	80.2	129^th of 778 public middle schools	83.4%		84.8	98^th of 773 public middle schools	87.3%	31	79.6	75.3	56.4	76.3	74.4	68.0	75.1	$13,223	$311	$12,913
Phillips Middle	Public	6-8	606 N Estes Dr	Chapel Hill	27514	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 929-2188	600	52	11.4	27.0%	272 (45.3%)	86 (14.3%)	59 (9.8%)	131 (21.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (8.5%)	83.5	102^nd of 778 public middle schools	86.9%		85	93^rd of 773 public middle schools	88.0%	9	76.1	71.6	70.9	67.0	76.2	71.6	82.7	$12,655	$480	$12,175
Smith Middle	Public	6-8	9201 Seawell School Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 918-2145	763	56	13.6	22.4%	322 (42.2%)	104 (13.6%)	98 (12.8%)	170 (22.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (9.0%)	87.1	76^th of 778 public middle schools	90.2%		88.3	67^th of 773 public middle schools	91.3%	9	78.5	75.5	77.7	73.5	74.6	76.7	80.9	$11,562	$338	$11,224
Margaret B. Pollard Middle	Public	6-8	185 Granite Mill Blvd.	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 969-0070	736	44	16.6	20.8%	479 (65.1%)	47 (6.4%)	133 (18.1%)	22 (3.0%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	49 (6.7%)	87.5	74^th of 778 public middle schools	90.5%		84.9	94^th of 773 public middle schools	87.8%	20	76.6	76.1	79.3	70.6	77.3	81.7	80.3	$8,507	$455	$8,052
Sherwood Githens Middle	Public	6-8	4800 Chapel Hill Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3966	878	51	17.1	99.7%	235 (26.8%)	238 (27.1%)	305 (34.7%)	37 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (7.1%)	43	453^rd of 778 public middle schools	41.8%		42.4	456^th of 773 public middle schools	41.0%	3	50.2	52.3	54.5	48.8	55.6	54.2	54.5	$10,235	$1,013	$9,222
Rogers-Herr Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	911 Cornwallis Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3970	660	40	16.6	99.5%	195 (29.5%)	250 (37.9%)	155 (23.5%)	17 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (6.2%)	79.5	135^th of 778 public middle schools	82.6%		83.8	104^th of 773 public middle schools	86.5%	31	65.9	68.7	67.6	66.4	72.5	72.1	83.6	$11,594	$781	$10,812
Alston Ridge Middle	Public	6-8	7833 Fussell Avenue	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8044	1,494	79	19.0	21.3%	334 (22.4%)	171 (11.4%)	175 (11.7%)	736 (49.3%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	73 (4.9%)	88.8	66^th of 778 public middle schools	91.5%		92.6	44^th of 773 public middle schools	94.3%	22	78.1	83.5	76.9	72.2	73.8	76.1	87.2
A L Stanback Middle	Public	6-8	3700 NC 86 South	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 644-3200	648	45	14.4	57.7%	238 (36.7%)	69 (10.6%)	284 (43.8%)	12 (1.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (6.5%)	43.4	449^th of 778 public middle schools	42.3%		51.9	371^st of 773 public middle schools	52.0%	78	55.1	48.2	59.3	48.7	47.7	51.3	62.1	$11,425	$789	$10,636
Lowe's Grove Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	4418 S Alston Avenue	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3946	564	29	19.7	99.5%	40 (7.1%)	269 (47.7%)	203 (36.0%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.1%)	15.2	683^rd of 778 public middle schools	12.2%		6.7	737^th of 773 public middle schools	4.7%	54	48.7	33.3	26.2	45.4	33.3	26.2	41.2	$11,779	$1,431	$10,349

Frequently Asked Questions about Culbreth Middle

What district is Culbreth Middle in?

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

What high school do graduates of Culbreth Middle attend?

Students who attend Culbreth Middle usually go on to attend Carrboro High

How many students attend Culbreth Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 632 students attended Culbreth Middle.

Is Culbreth Middle a good school?

Culbreth Middle ranks 172^nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Culbreth Middle?

Students at Culbreth Middle are 45% White, 30% Hispanic, 11% African American, 9% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

Rate Culbreth Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Chapel Hill, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Culbreth Middle!

Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.