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Holbrook Middle

Public Grades 6-8

589^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 24% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Holbrook Middle is a public middle school in Lowell, North Carolina, a small community near Gastonia serving 712 students in grades 6–8 as part of Gaston County Schools. The school holds a 1-star state rating and ranks 589th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools — the 24th percentile statewide. That's a steep decline from 2017–2018, when it earned a 3-star rating at the 59th percentile. Holbrook serves a very high-need student body: 97.75% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Its 13.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio, however, means more staff per student than most nearby middle schools.

Academically, Holbrook Middle trails both its district and the state in nearly every subject at every grade level. The biggest gaps are in 7th-grade math, where 36.9% of students are proficient versus 56.2% statewide, and 8th-grade science, at 47.4% proficient versus 68.6% statewide. Special education students rank in the 2nd percentile statewide, a critical concern. By contrast, gifted and talented students rank in the 97th percentile — 12th in the state — pointing to instructional strengths the school could build upon. Another bright spot is attendance: chronic absenteeism at 21.7% is better than both the district average (23.2%) and the state average (24.2%), a real achievement for a high-poverty school.

The most telling comparison, though, is with nearby schools serving similar populations. Both Stanley Middle and Mount Holly Middle serve student bodies that are roughly 99% free or reduced-price lunch eligible — nearly identical to Holbrook's 97.8% — yet they rank in the 68th and 61st percentiles statewide, with far higher math and science scores. That contrast shows poverty does not determine outcomes, and it offers proof that improvement is possible within Gaston County Schools. Holbrook already has favorable staffing and pockets of excellence; the challenge ahead is extending those strengths to every student.

712

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

418 S Church Street
Lowell, NC 28098-1806

(704) 836-9607

District: Gaston County Schools

Feeder schools for Holbrook Middle:

Elementary:	Brookside Elementary
	Lowell Elementary
	McAdenville Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.0%

African American:

30.5%

Hispanic:

27.7%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Holbrook Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 40th percentile in 2016 → 24th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg58%

589^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 24%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 40% (2016) to bottom 24% (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	27.1	589 of 778	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.2	605 of 773	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	597 of 793	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.8	465 of 784	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	531 of 786	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.2	445 of 741	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.8	393 of 737	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.0	281 of 691	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.2	326 of 694	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	42.3	417 of 692	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.2	435 of 705	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.0	382 of 627	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	58.9	247 of 673	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.6	323 of 662	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.0	333 of 648	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.8	330 of 640	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.0	352 of 630	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.6	299 of 620	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.0	290 of 606	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.0	236 of 598	60.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.9	416 of 553	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.2	458 of 546	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.8	421 of 560	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.2	289 of 559	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.9	256 of 550	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.6	188 of 533	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	163 of 519	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	148 of 494	70.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	34.0	282 of 449	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	314 of 478	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.6	237 of 504	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	152 of 475	68.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	230 of 363	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.0	150 of 371	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.2	207 of 356	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.4	73 of 318	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	47.9	127 of 312	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.3	39 of 236	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	53.8	60 of 211	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	34.1	104 of 151	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.7	613 of 731	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.4	592 of 733	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	584 of 738	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	454 of 731	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.2	496 of 733	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.4	382 of 706	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.1	386 of 684	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.5	286 of 656	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.1	12 of 465	97.4%	★★★★★
2025	50.4	315 of 458	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.4	222 of 461	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.9	157 of 452	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.0	50 of 450	88.9%	★★★★☆
2021	72.2	88 of 448	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	71.0	59 of 416	85.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	317 of 566	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.1	371 of 562	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	410 of 564	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.3	293 of 553	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.5	292 of 541	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.8	156 of 522	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	53.9	194 of 493	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	116 of 472	75.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	454 of 725	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.6	491 of 729	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.5	544 of 743	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.6	343 of 735	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.6	415 of 689	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	296 of 633	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.8	240 of 639	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.1	141 of 604	76.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	520 of 736	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	573 of 733	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	572 of 751	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.1	443 of 747	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	510 of 748	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.2	487 of 711	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	379 of 697	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.7	274 of 665	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.2	263 of 333	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.9	173 of 328	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.2	137 of 306	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.5	74 of 302	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	46.2	143 of 283	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.8	118 of 248	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	83 of 237	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.7	51 of 221	76.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.1	469 of 478	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	540 of 644	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.7	570 of 649	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	570 of 652	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.0	461 of 656	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.3	559 of 658	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	543 of 632	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	440 of 624	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.8	273 of 596	54.2%	★★★☆☆

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 (2026)97th percentile+73 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)37th percentile+13 vs school

Disabled (2022)37th percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)37th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)29th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2026)25th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)21st percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)2nd percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science47%-21 vs state

Reading46%-10 vs state

Mathematics42%-14 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 12, 2016

This school has super disrespectful students. I went into a class and the teacher couldn't even get one word out without having to stop. There are always at least 5 to 10 kids in redirect. Also the teachers and faculty members won't do anything about it Which that causes no one to learn. Close Quote

Schools Near Holbrook 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
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
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	99.5%	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
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
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	99.2%	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
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	99.5%	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
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	99.6%	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
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	99.5%	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
Whitewater Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	10201 Running Rapids Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 344-3400	731	48	15.2	99.6%	20 (2.7%)	372 (50.9%)	263 (36.0%)	45 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.2%)	27.3	586^th of 778 public middle schools	24.7%		37.3	491^st of 773 public middle schools	36.5%	95	47.5	45.8	45.3	40.2	42.4	37.8	56.5	$10,408	$1,245	$9,164
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	99.5%	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 Holbrook Middle

Is Holbrook Middle a good school?

Holbrook Middle ranks in the bottom 24.3% of North Carolina middle schools.

What district is Holbrook Middle in?

Gaston County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Holbrook Middle?

Students at Holbrook Middle are 34% White, 30% African American, 28% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Holbrook Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 712 students attended Holbrook Middle.

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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.