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Murphy Middle

Q: Is Murphy Middle a good school?

Murphy Middle ranks 322 nd of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

322^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 58% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Murphy Middle School is a public middle school located in Murphy, North Carolina, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 297 students. The school is part of the Cherokee County Schools district, which is ranked 138 out of 242 school districts in North Carolina and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Overall, Murphy Middle School has consistently ranked in the top half of North Carolina middle schools, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger in recent years. The school has generally performed better than the Cherokee County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in standardized test scores, particularly in science and reading. However, in mathematics, Murphy Middle School has struggled, with proficiency rates below the district and state averages, especially in 8th grade. The school has shown strengths in the performance of certain student subgroups, such as female students and low socioeconomic status students, but has faced challenges with the performance of white and multi-racial students.

One notable finding is the significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Murphy Middle School, from 30.39% in 2021-2022 to 98.99% in 2023-2024. This suggests a shift in the socioeconomic demographics of the school's student population, which may have implications for academic performance and resource needs. Additionally, the school's performance has been somewhat inconsistent, with fluctuations in proficiency rates across different grade levels and subject areas, indicating a need for more consistent and targeted instructional strategies. When compared to nearby schools, such as Hayesville Middle School, which is part of the higher-performing Clay County Schools district, Murphy Middle School has room for improvement.

353

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,209

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

65 Middle School Drive
Murphy, NC 28906

(828) 837-0160

District: Cherokee County Schools

Students who attend Murphy Middle usually attend:

High:

Murphy High

Feeder schools for Murphy Middle:

Elementary:	Murphy Elementary
	Peachtree Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.7%

Two or more races:

6.2%

Hispanic:

5.4%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Murphy Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 73rd percentile in 2019 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 73rd-percentile peak (2019) to 58th (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg54%

322^nd of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Cherokee County Schools

138^th of 242Cherokee 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	55.4	322 of 773	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.7	316 of 793	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.8	271 of 784	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.5	242 of 786	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.4	278 of 741	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.3	196 of 737	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	63.3	253 of 691	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.2	296 of 694	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.7	322 of 692	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.7	354 of 705	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	52.2	287 of 627	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.5	239 of 673	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.9	167 of 662	74.8%	★★★★☆
2011	70.9	190 of 648	70.7%	★★★★☆
2010	67.6	210 of 640	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	70.3	183 of 630	71.0%	★★★★☆
2008	73.9	142 of 620	77.1%	★★★★☆
2007	65.0	224 of 606	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	74.0	122 of 598	79.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	51.5	150 of 449	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.8	245 of 478	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	200 of 504	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.3	243 of 475	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.5	276 of 733	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.5	278 of 738	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.2	179 of 731	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	59.6	267 of 733	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.5	262 of 706	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.4	170 of 684	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	64.3	239 of 656	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.1	73 of 458	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	22 of 452	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	64.4	150 of 450	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	233 of 448	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	75.3	7 of 416	98.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.1	165 of 729	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	67.7	176 of 743	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	68.6	165 of 735	77.6%	★★★★☆
2022	76.1	95 of 689	86.2%	★★★★☆
2021	86.3	37 of 633	94.2%	★★★★★
2019	77.6	82 of 639	87.2%	★★★★☆
2018	55.8	244 of 604	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.9	362 of 733	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	345 of 751	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.0	363 of 747	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.7	216 of 748	71.1%	★★★★☆
2021	56.5	277 of 711	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.8	227 of 697	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.1	252 of 665	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	301 of 328	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	148 of 478	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.9	236 of 473	50.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	440 of 649	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.3	452 of 652	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	436 of 656	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.9	366 of 658	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.3	440 of 632	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.4	302 of 624	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.4	357 of 596	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2025)84th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile+19 vs school

Special Education (2025)69th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2022)67th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)62nd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)51st percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)32nd percentile-26 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)8th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science78%+18 vs state

Reading57%+4 vs state

Mathematics46%-7 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Teacher's embrace the challenge of the emotional rollercoaster that is middle school. A fragile balance of tough love, care, and what is right and wrong I feel has been given to my child this entire year. A special shout out to Ryan Gaither who is my kid's homeroom and ELA teacher and has really been optimistic and kind from the jump of this year. Teacher's are sometimes more approachable than parents, understanding of situations, and make parenting a less challenging task. Close Quote

Schools Near Murphy 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 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
Murphy Middle	Public	6-8	65 Middle School Drive	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 837-0160	353	23	15.4	99.2%	299 (84.7%)	7 (2.0%)	19 (5.4%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.2%)	55.4	322^nd of 773 public middle schools	58.3%		56.7	316^th of 793 public middle schools	60.2%	6	54.8	53.3	27.2	58.7	59.8	51.5	77.7	$10,209	$1,096	$9,114
Hiwassee Dam Middle	Public	6-8	337 Blue Eagle Circle	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 644-5115	122	9	13.5	96.7%	107 (87.7%)	1 (0.8%)	8 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	67.9				77.2	150^th of 793 public middle schools	81.1%	(n/a)	67.6	57.5	68.3	37.8	57.5	63.4	85.4	$13,929	$1,973	$11,956
Hayesville Middle	Public	6-8	135 School Drive	Hayesville	28904	Clay County	Clay County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 389-9924	301	20	15.4	99.0%	244 (81.1%)	2 (0.7%)	37 (12.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.7%)	68.4	217^th of 773 public middle schools	71.9%		54.1	348^th of 793 public middle schools	56.1%	131	56.7	66.7	62.1	64.4	56.2	59.8	66.7	$9,537	$427	$9,111
Andrews Middle	Public	6-8	2750 Business Hwy 19	Andrews	28901	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 321-5762	167	13	13.1	97.6%	131 (78.4%)	3 (1.8%)	21 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.6%)	43.8	442^nd of 773 public middle schools	42.8%		60.4	285^th of 793 public middle schools	64.1%	157	42.9	22.4	48.1	46.9	36.2	67.3	82.7	$9,750	$1,000	$8,751

Frequently Asked Questions about Murphy Middle

Is Murphy Middle a good school?

Murphy Middle ranks 322^nd of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Murphy Middle?

Students at Murphy Middle are 85% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 2% African American.

What high school do graduates of Murphy Middle attend?

Students who attend Murphy Middle usually go on to attend Murphy High

How many students attend Murphy Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 353 students attended Murphy Middle.

What district is Murphy Middle in?

Cherokee 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.