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George M. Horton Middle

Q: Is George M. Horton Middle a good school?

George M. Horton Middle ranks 122 nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

122^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

George M. Horton Middle is a public middle school in Pittsboro, NC, serving 414 students in grades 5 through 8 within Chatham County Schools. Horton has climbed steadily in statewide rankings, from the 70th percentile of North Carolina middle schools in 2021–22 to the 84th percentile in 2025–26, when it ranked 122nd of 778 schools and earned a four-star rating.

Horton exceeds state proficiency averages in every grade and subject tested and tops its district in 8 of 10 grade-and-subject combinations. That consistency makes it an outlier among nearby schools with similar economic profiles. Chatham Middle, East Lee Middle, and West Lee Middle all have free-and-reduced-lunch rates near or above 96% yet rank in the bottom 30% of North Carolina middle schools; Horton, serving a similar population, ranks in the top 16%. In 6th-grade math, for instance, 76.7% of Horton students are proficient versus 40.1% at Chatham Middle. Horton also keeps pace with Margaret B. Pollard Middle, a higher-income school in the same district, matching it in 6th-grade math and beating it in 6th-grade reading (76.7% vs. 70.6%). Note that Horton's poverty rate recently jumped to roughly 99% because it adopted a federal universal-meal program — a reporting change, not a change in the student body.

Horton's improvement is broad-based rather than the work of one strong class: 8th-grade science proficiency climbed from 59.8% to 78.3% since 2022–23, with double-digit gains in 6th- and 8th-grade reading and math over the same period. Chronic absenteeism fell to 19.4% in 2024–25 — below the district (21.4%) and state (24.2%) averages. Special-education students have shown particularly strong progress, rising from the 56th to the 87th percentile in statewide subgroup rankings over three years. The clearest area for continued growth is 8th-grade math, where proficiency has recovered from 44.6% to 57.1% but remains below the school's strong marks in other grades.

414

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

79 Horton Road
Pittsboro, NC 27312

(919) 542-2303

District: Chatham County Schools

Students who attend George M. Horton Middle usually attend:

High:

Northwood High

Feeder schools for George M. Horton Middle:

Elementary:

Pittsboro Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.4%

African American:

18.8%

Hispanic:

16.9%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare George M. Horton Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (73% vs 59% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg66%

North Carolina avg59%

122^nd of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 26 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

62^nd of 246Chatham 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	80.7	122 of 778	84.3%	★★★★☆
2025	80.5	134 of 773	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	76.1	160 of 793	79.8%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	230 of 784	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	66.2	233 of 786	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	51.5	340 of 741	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.4	255 of 737	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.8	294 of 691	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	65.6	230 of 694	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.7	288 of 692	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.0	282 of 705	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.5	279 of 627	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.2	222 of 673	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.7	320 of 662	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.2	214 of 648	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.4	223 of 640	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.5	279 of 630	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	67.2	202 of 620	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.5	219 of 606	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.7	254 of 598	57.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.5	149 of 553	73.1%	★★★★☆
2025	63.8	146 of 546	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	46.1	274 of 560	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.7	342 of 559	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.7	243 of 550	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.3	384 of 533	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.1	357 of 519	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.7	237 of 494	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	50.9	175 of 478	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	21.2	464 of 504	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	52.0	172 of 475	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.0	163 of 731	77.7%	★★★★☆
2025	79.2	129 of 733	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.3	141 of 738	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	57.2	303 of 731	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	249 of 733	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.8	379 of 706	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.7	186 of 684	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	59.1	288 of 656	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.8	217 of 465	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.4	101 of 458	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	52.8	281 of 461	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	70.9	83 of 452	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	60.7	191 of 450	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.4	338 of 448	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.3	328 of 416	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	68.8	27 of 127	78.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.1	70 of 566	87.6%	★★★★☆
2025	74.1	91 of 562	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	93.6	26 of 564	95.4%	★★★★★
2023	65.2	146 of 553	73.6%	★★★★☆
2022	53.6	226 of 541	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.7	394 of 522	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.7	110 of 493	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	45.2	263 of 472	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.4	206 of 725	71.6%	★★★★☆
2025	74.0	116 of 729	84.1%	★★★★☆
2024	65.6	198 of 743	73.4%	★★★★☆
2023	47.1	364 of 735	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.2	533 of 689	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.1	422 of 633	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.5	360 of 639	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	406 of 604	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	83.8	95 of 736	87.1%	★★★★☆
2025	79.3	127 of 733	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	71.9	184 of 751	75.5%	★★★★☆
2023	72.4	176 of 747	76.4%	★★★★☆
2022	66.5	217 of 748	71.0%	★★★★☆
2021	56.8	275 of 711	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.9	308 of 697	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.8	293 of 665	55.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.0	81 of 328	75.3%	★★★★☆
2021	32.4	177 of 248	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.2	64 of 500	87.2%	★★★★☆
2025	59.3	107 of 478	77.6%	★★★★☆
2024	46.4	206 of 473	56.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.8	122 of 644	81.1%	★★★★☆
2025	79.6	113 of 649	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	69.1	180 of 652	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	186 of 656	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	143 of 658	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	68.6	172 of 632	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	171 of 624	72.6%	★★★★☆
2018	58.9	239 of 596	59.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)88th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)87th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)87th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)81st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)78th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)75th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2026)73rd percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)72nd percentile-13 vs school

Disabled (2021)63rd percentile+9 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)53rd percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science76%+8 vs state

Reading73%+18 vs state

Mathematics70%+13 vs state

3.0

4 ratings · 4 written reviews

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2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, October 5, 2022

I need to give a SHOUTOUT to our local public middle school, George Moses Horton. GMH is AMAZING! The work that the faculty and staff at GMH are doing to educate and support our local youth is both impressive and inspirational!

As a parent, being able to send your child(ren) to a school where you know that they will be safe and nurtured, both academically and emotionally, is a tremendous sense of relief. I cannot adequately express how happy our family has been that we made the difficult decision to take our child out of nationally top-ranked NC charter school, and enroll them at GMH.

As an educator, community member and parent, I encourage everyone to check out all of the awesome things GMH is doing for the youth in our community. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, August 23, 2022

I must admit that based on other reviews I was a tad nervous to send my daughter here. However, I am pleasantly surprised! The principal has been very understanding and supportive and I am thrilled that my daughter was able to participate in Theater Club last year. It's obvious that the staff care about these kiddos and I am happy to be part of the GMH community. Close Quote

by a student
Friday, May 1, 2020

My 8th grade year was in 2016, I liked working with some teachers, but overall i was disappointing in the experience. In Iv been in classrooms where over half the class was removed for misconduct. Also its very difficult to be allowed to use the restroom. Often times we are told to reduce our volume at lunch because the library is above the lunch room... It was a great day when i left the 8th grade hall, my experience being completed. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, December 8, 2017

Many teachers are sarcastic, patronizing- admin is dismissive and inconsistent- discipline is punitive and entirely ineffective (disruption and bullying are common, as is vandalism in the bathrooms)- the environment is hostile for certain grade levels- students are given very little freedom to express themselves or even use the bathroom. I don't suggest sending anyone you love here, especially if they don't "fit the mold", if they are high achievers, or if they have a personality or thoughts of any sort. Close Quote

Schools Near George M. Horton 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/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 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
George M. Horton Middle	Public	5-8	79 Horton Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 542-2303	414	27	15.4	99.3%	217 (52.4%)	78 (18.8%)	70 (16.9%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.1%)	80.7	122^nd of 778 public middle schools	84.3%		80.5	134^th of 773 public middle schools	82.7%	12	75.0	76.7	74.0	57.1	72.2	76.7	73.8	70.7	74.1	78.3	$9,575	$632	$8,943
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
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
Chatham Middle	Public	6-8	2025 South 2nd Avenue Ext	Siler City	27344	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 663-2414	513	37	13.7	99.4%	44 (8.6%)	65 (12.7%)	380 (74.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.1%)	17.1	671^st of 778 public middle schools	13.8%		24	598^th of 773 public middle schools	22.6%	73		40.1	37.7	28.5		37.7	33.3	43.0		50.3	$10,233	$1,267	$8,966
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
Apex Friendship Middle	Public	6-8	7701 Humie Olive Rd	Apex	27502	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8960	1,412	73	19.3	7.9%	848 (60.1%)	77 (5.5%)	114 (8.1%)	302 (21.4%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (4.8%)	96.9	18^th of 778 public middle schools	97.7%		97.1	18^th of 773 public middle schools	97.7%			94.5	92.8	89.7		86.2	88.4	84.9		95.1	$8,250	$361	$7,890
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
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
West Lee Middle	Public	6-8	3301 Wicker St	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 775-7351	522	38	13.7	96.9%	102 (19.5%)	97 (18.6%)	287 (55.0%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.7%)	31.2	544^th of 778 public middle schools	30.1%		29.2	553^rd of 773 public middle schools	28.5%	9		51.6	43.2	32.7		44.4	41.9	47.6		65.1	$8,316	$876	$7,440
Mills Park Middle	Public	6-8	441 Mills Park Drive	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 466-1500	1,632	87	18.7	7.6%	479 (29.4%)	87 (5.3%)	112 (6.9%)	892 (54.7%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	56 (3.4%)	97.9	8^th of 778 public middle schools	99.0%		98.7	5^th of 773 public middle schools	99.4%	3		562.3	562.2	93.4		94.6	93.5	92.6		95.2	$7,648	$376	$7,272

Frequently Asked Questions about George M. Horton Middle

Is George M. Horton Middle a good school?

George M. Horton Middle ranks 122^nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of George M. Horton Middle attend?

Students who attend George M. Horton Middle usually go on to attend Northwood High

How many students attend George M. Horton Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 414 students attended George M. Horton Middle.

What district is George M. Horton Middle in?

Chatham County Schools

What is the racial makeup of George M. Horton Middle?

Students at George M. Horton Middle are 52% White, 19% African American, 17% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.