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Lakewood Montessori Middle

Q: Is Lakewood Montessori Middle a good school?

Lakewood Montessori Middle ranks 139 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-8

139^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 82% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Lakewood Montessori Middle is a grades 6–8 Montessori school within Durham Public Schools, enrolling 309 students and located just off Chapel Hill Road in Durham, NC. For several years it ranked among North Carolina's top middle schools, reaching the 96th percentile statewide in 2024–2025. In the latest data it still earns a 4-star rating and ranks 139th of 778 middle schools — an 82nd percentile result — though that is a visible step down from its recent near-elite standing. Eighth grade achievement remains exceptional: math proficiency is 87.7%, about 37 points above the district average, and science proficiency is 87.7% versus a 62.1% district average.

The school's most striking advantage may be attendance. Lakewood's chronic absenteeism rate is just 6.8%, compared with 36.1% across Durham Public Schools. Most nearby DPS middle schools — Neal Middle, George L Carrington Middle, Lowe's Grove Middle, and Brogden Middle — earn only 1 or 2 stars and report chronic absenteeism between roughly 40% and 46%, about six times Lakewood's rate. Rogers-Herr Middle, less than a mile away, is the closest comparable school. Also a 4-star DPS middle school, it ranks essentially tied with Lakewood overall, but the two reach their results differently: Rogers-Herr gets stronger scores from incoming 6th graders, while Lakewood's 8th graders pull far ahead.

The recent dip in Lakewood's ranking is concentrated in its incoming 6th grade class. Math proficiency in 6th grade fell from 83.0% to 57.3% and reading from 80.2% to 51.8%, even as 7th and 8th grade results stayed strong or improved. Results for students with disabilities remain excellent, but recent scores for English learners and students from low-income households have dropped after several stronger years, and closing those gaps will matter as much as helping the current 6th graders regain momentum. Attendance this strong, in a district where chronic absenteeism is common, points to a highly engaged learning environment that should support those efforts. If Lakewood can steady its newest cohort and deliver consistent results for all students, it has a credible path back to the top tier of North Carolina middle schools.

309

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2119 Chapel Hill Rd
Durham, NC 27707

(919) 560-2894

District: Durham Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.9%

Hispanic:

19.1%

African American:

16.5%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Lakewood Montessori Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 96th percentile in 2025 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (74% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of North Carolina middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 96th-percentile peak (2025) to 82nd (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg58%

139^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 15 pts since 2016

From top 32% (2016) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

155^th of 246Durham Public 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	78.8	139 of 778	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	95.7	31 of 773	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	93.4	42 of 793	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	93.4	38 of 784	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	91.8	54 of 786	93.1%	★★★★★
2021	85.8	77 of 741	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	74.8	161 of 737	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	64.6	245 of 691	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	67.9	214 of 694	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.1	224 of 692	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.9	198 of 705	71.9%	★★★★☆
2014	44.1	342 of 627	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.9	286 of 673	57.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.4	179 of 553	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	91.1	38 of 546	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	93.0	31 of 560	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	86.2	49 of 559	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	87.4	48 of 550	91.3%	★★★★★
2021	75.2	75 of 533	85.9%	★★★★☆
2019	59.2	154 of 519	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	46.2	260 of 494	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	99.2	1 of 449	99.8%	★★★★★
2019	44.5	254 of 504	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.7	264 of 475	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	249 of 363	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.2	280 of 356	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.2	143 of 731	80.4%	★★★★☆
2025	95.2	26 of 733	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	92.1	42 of 738	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	93.6	32 of 731	95.6%	★★★★★
2022	91.2	52 of 733	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	86.1	73 of 706	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.4	136 of 684	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	66.2	223 of 656	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	17 of 458	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	76.8	21 of 452	95.4%	★★★★★
2022	77.3	17 of 450	96.2%	★★★★★
2021	51.0	277 of 448	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.1	109 of 416	73.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	381 of 566	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	80.9	61 of 562	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	61.1	166 of 564	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.2	109 of 553	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	65.7	138 of 541	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	45.0	277 of 522	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.4	390 of 493	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	426 of 472	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.9	425 of 725	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	79.1	89 of 729	87.8%	★★★★☆
2024	57.5	284 of 743	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.7	121 of 735	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	62.9	189 of 689	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	54.5	237 of 633	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.4	369 of 639	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.1	526 of 604	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	123 of 736	83.3%	★★★★☆
2025	95.4	30 of 733	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	39 of 751	94.8%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	47 of 747	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	50 of 748	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	83.5	93 of 711	86.9%	★★★★☆
2019	69.5	194 of 697	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	61.4	260 of 665	60.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.6	28 of 500	94.4%	★★★★★
2025	99.7	2 of 478	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	90.6	14 of 473	97.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.1	13 of 644	98.0%	★★★★★
2025	97.1	3 of 649	99.5%	★★★★★
2024	97.1	6 of 652	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	96.8	6 of 656	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	96.8	6 of 658	99.1%	★★★★★
2021	98.5	3 of 632	99.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.8	14 of 624	97.8%	★★★★★
2018	93.7	19 of 596	96.8%	★★★★★

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)

Disabled (2022)100th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)98th percentile+16 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)96th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)94th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)83rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)80th percentile~ school

African American (2026)68th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile-41 vs school

Hispanic (2026)33rd percentile-49 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)31st percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science88%+19 vs state

Mathematics73%+17 vs state

Reading69%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lakewood Montessori 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 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
Lakewood Montessori Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2119 Chapel Hill Rd	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-2894	309	20	15.2	99.0%	179 (57.9%)	51 (16.5%)	59 (19.1%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.5%)	78.8	139^th of 778 public middle schools	82.1%		95.7	31^st of 773 public middle schools	96.0%	108	57.3	75.4	87.7	51.8	76.9	79.2	87.7	$14,182	$1,909	$12,273
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
James E Shepard Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2401 Dakota Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3938	423	29	14.5	98.6%	10 (2.4%)	263 (62.2%)	129 (30.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.8%)	40.8	472^nd of 778 public middle schools	39.3%		48.3	401^st of 773 public middle schools	48.1%	71	43.7	50.3	62.9	43.0	49.7	44.7	69.2	$11,998	$1,606	$10,392
Brogden Middle	Public	6-8	1001 Leon Street	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3906	753	45	16.8	99.5%	94 (12.5%)	253 (33.6%)	344 (45.7%)	21 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.4%)	28.7	572^nd of 778 public middle schools	26.5%		17.1	671^st of 773 public middle schools	13.2%	99	39.8	62.4	44.4	36.7	44.1	35.6	53.1	$12,887	$1,406	$11,481
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
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
George L Carrington Middle	Public	6-8	227 Milton Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3916	771	51	15.1	99.6%	93 (12.1%)	291 (37.7%)	326 (42.3%)	18 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.6%)	22.1	635^th of 778 public middle schools	18.4%		29	556^th of 773 public middle schools	28.1%	79	40.2	41.8	33.6	40.6	50.2	36.6	47.1	$10,263	$957	$9,306
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
Neal Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	201 Baptist Road	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3955	706	48	14.7	99.6%	22 (3.1%)	281 (39.8%)	363 (51.4%)	9 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (4.2%)	16.4	674^th of 778 public middle schools	13.4%		17.5	665^th of 773 public middle schools	14.0%	9	38.6	41.7	29.4	37.6	28.4	35.8	53.0	$12,097	$2,570	$9,527
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Lakewood Montessori Middle

Is Lakewood Montessori Middle a good school?

Lakewood Montessori Middle ranks 139^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Lakewood Montessori Middle?

Students at Lakewood Montessori Middle are 58% White, 19% Hispanic, 17% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Lakewood Montessori Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 309 students attended Lakewood Montessori Middle.

What district is Lakewood Montessori Middle in?

Durham Public Schools

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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.