Andrews Middle

Andrews Middle is a small public school in Andrews, North Carolina, serving 167 students in grades 6–8 as part of Cherokee County Schools in a rural, high-poverty community where nearly 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school currently holds a 1-star state rating, ranking 599th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools at the 23rd percentile statewide. That marks a steep and sustained decline over four years: Andrews earned a 4-star rating and 72nd-percentile ranking in 2022–23, then dropped to the 64th percentile in 2023–24, the 43rd percentile in 2024–25, and now its lowest point in the past decade.

Test scores in 2025–26 lagged the district and state in every reported grade and subject. In 7th-grade math, only 33.3% of students were proficient, well below the state's 56.2% and far behind nearby Hayesville Middle at 78.4% and Murphy Middle at 48.7%; it was also the lowest among its immediate peers, including Robbinsville Middle. Eighth-grade math proficiency was 26.5% versus 53.0% statewide, and 6th-grade reading proficiency was 37.5% compared to the state's 54.8%. Subgroup data suggest the struggles are broad-based, with male students ranking at the 15th percentile and special education students at the 11th percentile statewide.

Chronic absenteeism at Andrews Middle was 34.8% in 2024–25 — above the state rate of 24.2% but better than the district's 38.7% and lower than Murphy Middle (45.1%) and Robbinsville Middle (40.4%). With such a small student body, cohort swings can dramatically affect year-to-year results; the 8th-grade class that posted science proficiency above 92% in 2023–24 scored at 65.3% just two years later. That history is a reminder that Andrews has performed at a high level before, earning 4-star ratings in 2017–18 and 2022–23, which makes the current downward trend particularly worth watching for families considering the school.