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W P Grier Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

677^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 13% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

W P Grier Middle School in Gastonia, NC, is a public school serving 659 students in grades 6–8 within Gaston County Schools. The school's state ranking has been low for years, currently placing in the 13th percentile with a 1-star rating. Nearby Cramerton Middle and Belmont Middle have much higher rankings (91st and 79th percentiles), while York Chester Middle is similarly low at the 7th percentile.

Chronic absenteeism is a major challenge. In 2024-25, 38.2% of Grier students were chronically absent, far above the county average (23.2%) and the state average (24.2%). That's roughly double or triple the rates at schools like Mount Holly Middle (20.6%) and Stanley Middle (21.8%). Academically, proficiency on state EOG exams trails district averages by 15 to 22 points in math and reading, with the largest gap in 8th grade math. However, 8th grade science is a relative bright spot: 60.6% proficient, compared to 65.6% district and 68.6% statewide.

There are real signs of progress. Between 2024-25 and 2025-26, Grier saw double-digit gains in 8th grade science and 6th grade math, plus solid gains in reading and 7th grade math. The school also earned a 4-star rating for homeless students, who performed in the 85th percentile statewide. High poverty alone doesn't explain the school's struggle — neighboring Mount Holly Middle and Stanley Middle share similar poverty levels but perform far better — making attendance the highest-leverage opportunity. Addressing chronic absenteeism will be critical to helping Grier continue its upward trend.

659

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1622 E Garrison Boulevard
Gastonia, NC 28054-5176

(704) 836-9604

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend W P Grier Middle School usually attend:

High:

Ashbrook High

Feeder schools for W P Grier Middle School:

Elementary:	Sherwood Elementary
	Woodhill Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.8%

Hispanic:

29.1%

White:

9.6%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare W P Grier Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (37% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg58%

677^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

145^th of 246Gaston 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	15.7	677 of 778	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.3	717 of 773	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	720 of 793	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	709 of 784	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	704 of 786	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	612 of 741	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	585 of 737	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.7	438 of 691	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.7	430 of 694	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.3	500 of 692	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.7	548 of 705	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	13.0	557 of 627	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.5	519 of 673	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.7	526 of 662	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.0	501 of 648	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.2	466 of 640	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	48.0	387 of 630	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.9	298 of 620	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	46.3	390 of 606	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.1	331 of 598	44.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	432 of 553	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	498 of 546	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	497 of 560	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	524 of 559	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	449 of 550	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.8	357 of 533	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.7	352 of 519	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	246 of 494	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	25.4	371 of 449	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.0	306 of 478	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.8	316 of 504	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.4	240 of 475	49.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	239 of 363	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.5	306 of 371	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	315 of 356	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.7	179 of 318	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.2	169 of 312	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.5	112 of 236	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.0	74 of 211	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.4	53 of 151	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	672 of 731	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.2	708 of 733	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	679 of 738	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	694 of 731	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	662 of 733	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	597 of 706	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	565 of 684	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	473 of 656	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.0	410 of 566	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.8	431 of 562	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.4	484 of 564	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.7	387 of 553	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.1	468 of 541	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.8	332 of 522	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.0	334 of 493	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.1	150 of 472	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.4	9 of 59	84.7%	★★★★☆
2025	30.6	36 of 44	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	591 of 725	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	662 of 729	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	670 of 743	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	677 of 735	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	623 of 689	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	507 of 633	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	477 of 639	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.4	336 of 604	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.7	636 of 736	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.9	674 of 733	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	696 of 751	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	663 of 747	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	690 of 748	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	585 of 711	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.9	559 of 697	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.4	387 of 665	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	267 of 333	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	286 of 328	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	281 of 306	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	297 of 302	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.5	197 of 283	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.4	195 of 248	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.5	142 of 237	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.8	64 of 221	71.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	19.0	450 of 473	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.8	604 of 644	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.0	598 of 649	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	525 of 652	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	591 of 656	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	631 of 658	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	535 of 632	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	501 of 624	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	55.8	262 of 596	56.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Homeless (2026)85th percentile+72 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)34th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)28th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)22nd percentile+9 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)20th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2022)17th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile~ school

Female (2026)8th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)6th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2024)5th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science61%-8 vs state

Reading35%-21 vs state

Mathematics31%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near W P Grier Middle School

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
W P Grier Middle School	Public	6-8	1622 E Garrison Boulevard	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9604	659	42	15.7	—	63 (9.6%)	348 (52.8%)	192 (29.1%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (6.8%)	15.7	677^th of 778 public middle schools	13.0%		10.3	717^th of 773 public middle schools	7.2%	40	37.4	30.7	24.9	32.1	38.7	34.5	60.6	$8,330	$1,260	$7,071
York Chester Middle	Public	6-8	601 S Clay Street	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9609	398	25	15.9	—	72 (18.1%)	188 (47.2%)	121 (30.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	9.3	726^th of 778 public middle schools	6.7%		25.9	582^nd of 773 public middle schools	24.7%	144	26.4	17.8	33.3	29.8	25.6	33.6	49.6	$12,146	$3,225	$8,921
Holbrook Middle	Public	6-8	418 S Church Street	Lowell	28098	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9607	712	53	13.5	97.8%	242 (34.0%)	217 (30.5%)	197 (27.7%)	9 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (6.5%)	27.1	589^th of 778 public middle schools	24.3%		23.2	605^th of 773 public middle schools	21.7%	16	54.2	36.9	39.2	47.4	46.3	44.3	47.4	$7,945	$752	$7,193
Southwest Middle	Public	6-8	1 Roadrunner Drive	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6290	832	54	15.3	—	187 (22.5%)	280 (33.7%)	302 (36.3%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (6.9%)	14.7	687^th of 778 public middle schools	11.7%		13.6	696^th of 773 public middle schools	10.0%	9	42.6	35.7	26.1	33.8	31.0	35.1	53.0	$8,802	$1,244	$7,559
Cramerton Middle	Public	6-8	601 Cramer Mountain Road	Cramerton	28032	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9603	959	51	18.8	43.2%	587 (61.2%)	154 (16.1%)	117 (12.2%)	44 (4.6%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (5.5%)	88.1	69^th of 778 public middle schools	91.1%		88.9	61^st of 773 public middle schools	92.1%	8	79.3	75.4	73.5	73.3	73.1	78.6	88.9	$7,892	$734	$7,158
W C Friday Middle School	Public	6-8	1221 Ratchford Drive	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 922-5297	618	34	18.0	—	292 (47.2%)	147 (23.8%)	120 (19.4%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (8.1%)	28.7	573^rd of 778 public middle schools	26.3%		26.2	579^th of 773 public middle schools	25.1%	6	51.7	36.8	40.5	50.0	35.8	48.7	56.9	$8,144	$730	$7,414
Belmont Middle	Public	6-8	1020 South Point Road	Belmont	28012	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9611	770	42	18.1	42.2%	504 (65.5%)	84 (10.9%)	122 (15.8%)	18 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.3%)	76.4	164^th of 778 public middle schools	78.9%		74.5	167^th of 773 public middle schools	78.4%	3	77.6	67.8	63.1	63.2	69.0	64.3	80.5	$7,551	$657	$6,894
Mount Holly Middle	Public	6-8	124 S Hawthorne Street	Mount Holly	28120	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9610	570	37	15.2	—	281 (49.3%)	115 (20.2%)	106 (18.6%)	19 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	47 (8.2%)	60	301^st of 778 public middle schools	61.3%		53.5	350^th of 773 public middle schools	54.7%	49	55.1	60.8	59.9	50.5	60.3	63.2	76.9	$8,065	$884	$7,181
Bessemer City Middle	Public	6-8	525 Ed Wilson Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9602	497	29	17.1	—	205 (41.2%)	136 (27.4%)	118 (23.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.0%)	15.6	678^th of 778 public middle schools	12.9%		19.6	641^st of 773 public middle schools	17.1%	37	37.6	23.1	34.2	38.3	28.4	40.6	55.5	$9,249	$1,434	$7,815
Stanley Middle	Public	6-8	317 Hovis Road	Stanley	28164	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9600	602	38	15.6	—	357 (59.3%)	87 (14.5%)	112 (18.6%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.3%)	65	247^th of 778 public middle schools	68.3%		61.7	269^th of 773 public middle schools	65.2%	22	73.9	61.3	68.6	53.5	47.9	65.8	76.7	$8,317	$777	$7,540

Frequently Asked Questions about W P Grier Middle School

What high school do graduates of W P Grier Middle School attend?

Students who attend W P Grier Middle School usually go on to attend Ashbrook High

What district is W P Grier Middle School in?

Gaston County Schools

Is W P Grier Middle School a good school?

W P Grier Middle School ranks in the bottom 13.0% of North Carolina middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of W P Grier Middle School?

Students at W P Grier Middle School are 53% African American, 29% Hispanic, 10% White, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend W P Grier Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 659 students attended W P Grier Middle School.

Rate W P Grier Middle School!

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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.