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Bessemer City Middle

Public Grades 6-8

678^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 13% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Bessemer City Middle serves grades 6 through 8 in Bessemer City, NC, a small Gaston County town west of Charlotte, and enrolls about 497 students. Nearly all of its students (99.4%) come from low-income families, and the school is part of Gaston County Schools. Although the district ranks near the middle of North Carolina districts, Bessemer City Middle has declined in recent years and now ranks among the state’s lower-performing middle schools, sitting in the 13th percentile (678 of 778 schools) with a 1-star rating in 2025-26.

In testing, the school trails district and state averages in every grade and subject. Roughly 37% of students score proficient on end-of-grade tests, versus 52% districtwide and 58% statewide. The 7th grade year is especially concerning: only 23.1% passed math (33 points below the state) and 28.4% passed reading (28 points below). Chronic absenteeism is also a major challenge, with about 31.7% of students chronically absent—roughly one in three. That’s well above district (23.2%) and state (24.2%) levels, and higher than several neighboring schools with similar poverty rates. Spending is not the issue: the school spends about $9,249 per student, more than many higher-performing area schools.

What makes these results striking is that nearby high-poverty schools do far better. Stanley Middle, with 99.5% free/reduced-price lunch, ranks in the 68th percentile statewide and posts 6th-grade math proficiency of 73.9%, nearly double the rate at Bessemer City Middle. John Chavis Middle School, also around 99% poverty, ranks in the 43rd percentile. Kings Mountain Middle has similar chronic absenteeism (30.7%) yet ranks in the 52nd percentile. There are bright spots: 8th-grade science is closer to state averages, special education students improved from the 5th to the 40th percentile, and gifted students score near the middle statewide. Overall, the school’s downward trend points to attendance, the 7th-grade experience, and lessons from nearby schools as the most promising areas for improvement.

497

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

525 Ed Wilson Road
Bessemer City, NC 28016

(704) 836-9602

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend Bessemer City Middle usually attend:

High:

Bessemer City High

Feeder schools for Bessemer City Middle:

Elementary:	Bessemer City Central Elementary
	Bessemer City Primary
	Edward D Sadler Junior Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.2%

African American:

27.4%

Hispanic:

23.7%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Bessemer City Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (36% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg58%

678^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 19% (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	15.6	678 of 778	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.6	641 of 773	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	579 of 793	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.1	460 of 784	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.0	591 of 786	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	517 of 741	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.3	568 of 737	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	542 of 691	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.0	550 of 694	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.2	560 of 692	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.5	542 of 705	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.6	459 of 627	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.6	497 of 673	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.7	529 of 662	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.1	472 of 648	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.8	504 of 640	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.3	474 of 630	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	33.5	450 of 620	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	38.7	437 of 606	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.8	369 of 598	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.1	452 of 553	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.9	436 of 546	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.2	349 of 560	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.1	249 of 559	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.8	349 of 550	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	338 of 533	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.0	397 of 519	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	374 of 494	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	32.4	295 of 449	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.0	430 of 478	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.6	346 of 504	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.2	324 of 475	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.7	280 of 363	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	54.0	110 of 371	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	39.1	210 of 356	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.3	62 of 318	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	40.9	163 of 312	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.5	126 of 236	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	651 of 731	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.5	615 of 733	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	583 of 738	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.7	384 of 731	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	478 of 733	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.2	438 of 706	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.3	574 of 684	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	551 of 656	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.3	245 of 465	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	426 of 566	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.2	393 of 562	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	419 of 564	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.8	318 of 553	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.8	421 of 541	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	58.7	165 of 522	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.2	225 of 493	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.6	334 of 472	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	613 of 725	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.9	578 of 729	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	542 of 743	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	54.7	295 of 735	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.3	462 of 689	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.9	408 of 633	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.6	460 of 639	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	447 of 604	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.1	653 of 736	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	600 of 733	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	540 of 751	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.7	504 of 747	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.9	627 of 748	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.7	537 of 711	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	503 of 697	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	526 of 665	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.8	318 of 333	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.0	298 of 328	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	44.4	171 of 302	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	193 of 283	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.3	93 of 248	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	302 of 500	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.3	449 of 473	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.3	619 of 644	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.3	606 of 649	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	552 of 652	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	495 of 656	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	604 of 658	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	575 of 632	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	581 of 624	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	563 of 596	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)47th percentile+34 vs school

Special Education (2026)40th percentile+27 vs school

Disabled (2022)34th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile+12 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)23rd percentile+10 vs school

African American (2026)18th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile~ school

Female (2026)11th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)5th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)4th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science56%-13 vs state

Reading35%-20 vs state

Mathematics31%-25 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, February 27, 2022

This school is very unhygienic there is literally bugs in all the lights,cracks everywhere and there was recently a act of sexual assult and the school did nothing about it untill threatened with being sued and still after that the child who sexually assaulted faced no punishment Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, January 3, 2017

loving it!!! Close Quote

by a student
Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Bessemer City Middle Shool is a great school,teacher motivates their students so they can learn. During the past few years Bessemer City Middle School hasen't have good End-of-Grade testing score but Bessmer City Middle School students are trying their best to show their knowledge, Teacher and Staff members care about their students they ask them if there day has been okay. In Bessemer City Middle School there haven't been much bullying activity. Bessemer City Middle School is a great place to learn and have fun ... I'm very happy to be a student at "BCMS" because is a peaceful place. Close Quote

Schools Near Bessemer City 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/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 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
Kings Mountain Middle	Public	7-8	1000 Phifer Road	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8340	631	37	16.9	—	348 (55.2%)	162 (25.7%)	58 (9.2%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (8.9%)	52.6	373^rd of 778 public middle schools	52.1%		54.9	329^th of 773 public middle schools	57.4%	44			53.5	53.8			58.0	60.8		62.1	$8,838	$691	$8,147
Kings Mountain Intermediate	Public	5-6	227 Kings Mountain Boulevard	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8366	601	32	19.0	—	352 (58.6%)	144 (24.0%)	56 (9.3%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.7%)								(n/a)	63.0	69.5			52.0	58.5			71.2		$8,233	$1,444	$6,788
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
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
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
John Chavis Middle School	Public	6-8	103 South Chavis Drive	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9606	412	27	14.9	—	296 (71.8%)	38 (9.2%)	56 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.3%)	44	444^th of 778 public middle schools	42.9%		45.9	427^th of 773 public middle schools	44.8%	17		46.0	54.3	53.4		43.2	51.2	50.4		73.7	$9,634	$956	$8,678
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Bessemer City Middle

What is the racial makeup of Bessemer City Middle?

Students at Bessemer City Middle are 41% White, 27% African American, 24% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

Is Bessemer City Middle a good school?

Bessemer City Middle ranks in the bottom 12.9% of North Carolina middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Bessemer City Middle attend?

Students who attend Bessemer City Middle usually go on to attend Bessemer City High

What district is Bessemer City Middle in?

Gaston County Schools

How many students attend Bessemer City Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 497 students attended Bessemer City Middle.

Rate Bessemer City Middle!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2026

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.