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Canton Middle

Q: Is Canton Middle a good school?

Canton Middle ranks 288 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 63% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Canton Middle is a 6–8 middle school in Canton, North Carolina, serving 475 students as part of Haywood County Schools. The school currently ranks in the 63rd percentile of North Carolina middle schools with a 3-star rating — above the state median, though slightly off its recent peak in the 71st percentile. Canton's most distinctive pattern is the split between subjects: students score above state averages in every middle-school math grade, and 8th-grade science proficiency is strong at 79.6% versus 68.6% statewide. Reading is the outlier, with 6th- and 8th-grade proficiency running roughly 4–7 points below state averages — and that literacy gap is the main factor holding the school back.

Chronic absenteeism is another concern. In 2024–25, 28.0% of Canton students were chronically absent, compared with 19.9% for the district and 24.2% statewide, and Canton's rate has risen for three consecutive years. The contrast with Bethel Middle, just 4.8 miles away in the same district, is striking: Bethel has nearly identical poverty levels (98.8% vs. Canton's 98.3%) and the same student–teacher ratio, yet its chronic absenteeism was just 16.7% and its 6th- and 8th-grade reading proficiency ran roughly 19–20 points higher. Bethel ranks in the 77th percentile statewide while Canton sits in the 63rd.

The encouraging news is that Canton performs well for many students who are often underserved. Its low-income students rank in the 73rd percentile among comparable North Carolina schools, and its special education students rank in the 81st percentile — both earning 4 stars. However, the gifted/talented subgroup has fallen from the 87th to the 24th percentile over two years, a trend worth asking about. For parents, the bottom line is that Canton Middle offers genuine strengths in math, science, and support for high-need students. Closing the reading and attendance gaps — areas where Bethel Middle proves better outcomes are possible with similar demographics — is the clearest path for the school to climb back into the 70th percentile and beyond.

475

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

60 Penland St
Canton, NC 28716-4708

(828) 646-3467

District: Haywood County Schools

Students who attend Canton Middle usually attend:

High:

Pisgah High

Feeder schools for Canton Middle:

Elementary:	Clyde Elementary
	Meadowbrook Elementary
	North Canton Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.0%

Hispanic:

10.5%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Canton Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg58%

288^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to top 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

64^th of 246Haywood 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	60.8	288 of 778	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.1	282 of 773	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.1	230 of 793	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	66.2	234 of 784	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	65.7	241 of 786	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.6	347 of 741	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	378 of 737	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.6	278 of 691	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	68.5	206 of 694	70.3%	★★★★☆
2016	68.9	190 of 692	72.5%	★★★★☆
2015	72.9	173 of 705	75.5%	★★★★☆
2014	65.2	187 of 627	70.2%	★★★★☆
2013	65.6	190 of 673	71.8%	★★★★☆
2012	73.3	162 of 662	75.5%	★★★★☆
2011	68.4	212 of 648	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	73.2	153 of 640	76.1%	★★★★☆
2009	70.0	186 of 630	70.5%	★★★★☆
2008	65.4	228 of 620	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.8	215 of 606	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.0	253 of 598	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	49.6	156 of 449	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.1	361 of 478	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	389 of 504	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.4	295 of 475	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.5	260 of 731	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.7	247 of 733	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.5	201 of 738	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	219 of 731	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	62.8	245 of 733	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.9	323 of 706	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	353 of 684	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.8	224 of 656	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.4	353 of 465	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	69.0	104 of 458	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	62 of 461	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.3	180 of 452	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.7	22 of 450	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	53.0	261 of 448	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.7	311 of 416	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	166 of 566	70.7%	★★★★☆
2025	59.7	186 of 562	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.1	75 of 564	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.4	55 of 553	90.1%	★★★★★
2022	74.2	85 of 541	84.3%	★★★★☆
2021	54.0	201 of 522	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.0	266 of 493	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.9	268 of 472	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.0	193 of 725	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	63.6	200 of 729	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	153 of 743	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	71.7	146 of 735	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	73.4	109 of 689	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	64.2	163 of 633	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	53.9	273 of 639	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.4	148 of 604	75.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	302 of 736	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	291 of 733	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.3	245 of 751	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.3	237 of 747	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.5	218 of 748	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	48.0	348 of 711	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.7	372 of 697	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.7	314 of 665	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.4	94 of 500	81.2%	★★★★☆
2025	55.2	124 of 478	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	48.9	180 of 473	61.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	410 of 644	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	398 of 649	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.1	353 of 652	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.5	364 of 656	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.9	360 of 658	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.1	471 of 632	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	495 of 624	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.4	414 of 596	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)81st percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)73rd percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)71st percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)65th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile~ school

Male (2026)59th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)36th percentile-27 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)24th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+11 vs state

Mathematics64%+8 vs state

Reading53%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Canton 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 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
Canton Middle	Public	6-8	60 Penland St	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 646-3467	475	31	15.3	98.3%	399 (84.0%)	3 (0.6%)	50 (10.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.2%)	60.8	288^th of 778 public middle schools	63.0%		60.1	282^nd of 773 public middle schools	63.5%	6		63.2	62.3	65.8		50.6	59.9	49.1		79.6	$9,141	$940	$8,202
Bethel Middle	Public	6-8	630 Sonoma Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 646-3442	254	16	15.4	98.8%	228 (89.8%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	74	181^st of 778 public middle schools	76.7%		81.9	117^th of 773 public middle schools	84.9%	64		71.6	55.1	74.1		69.3	57.8	69.4		83.5	$11,023	$637	$10,386
Waynesville Middle	Public	6-8	495 Brown Ave	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 456-2403	727	45	16.0	97.2%	606 (83.4%)	3 (0.4%)	78 (10.7%)	7 (1.0%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.7%)	63	270^th of 778 public middle schools	65.3%		54.9	328^th of 773 public middle schools	57.6%	58		62.8	64.7	63.6		57.8	60.7	56.1		70.3	$9,343	$1,182	$8,162
Enka Middle	Public	7-8	390 Asbury Road	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 670-5010	588	37	16.0	99.5%	379 (64.5%)	28 (4.8%)	146 (24.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (5.1%)	34.8	515^th of 778 public middle schools	33.8%		30.2	546^th of 773 public middle schools	29.4%	31			44.5	40.9			47.5	45.7		66.9	$9,775	$826	$8,949
Enka Intermediate	Public	5-6	125 Asheville Commerce Parkway	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 255-1380	585	39	14.8	99.5%	380 (65.0%)	22 (3.8%)	154 (26.3%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (3.4%)								(n/a)	54.9	52.0			51.6	49.1			67.2		$9,013	$1,227	$7,786
Erwin Middle	Public	7-8	20 Erwin Middle School Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4264	545	40	13.7	99.4%	277 (50.8%)	40 (7.3%)	194 (35.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.5%)	23 (4.2%)	18.9	659^th of 778 public middle schools	15.3%		19.8	639^th of 773 public middle schools	17.3%	20			43.0	28.6			41.9	34.4		50.8	$9,336	$764	$8,571
Eblen Intermediate	Public	5-6	59 Lee's Creek Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 255-5757	566	38	14.9	99.3%	301 (53.2%)	49 (8.7%)	187 (33.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	22 (3.9%)								(n/a)	50.2	51.3			44.0	42.3			59.0		$9,206	$1,398	$7,808
Asheville Middle	Public	6-8	211 S French Broad Avenue	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-6200	670	59	11.3	50.9%	383 (57.2%)	145 (21.6%)	74 (11.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.5%)	53 (7.9%)	59.1	314^th of 778 public middle schools	59.6%		51	380^th of 773 public middle schools	50.8%	66		55.2	59.6	45.9		57.5	61.9	66.5		74.2	$12,770	$724	$12,046
Valley Springs Middle	Public	5-8	224 Long Shoals Road	Arden	28704	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 654-1785	654	46	14.3	99.5%	335 (51.2%)	71 (10.9%)	176 (26.9%)	21 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	45 (6.9%)	69.8	209^th of 778 public middle schools	73.1%		62.6	265^th of 773 public middle schools	65.7%	56			58.3	70.8			58.6	64.0		81.2	$11,876	$1,485	$10,391
Koontz Intermediate	Public	5-6	305 Overlook Road	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 684-1295	725	40	18.1	99.2%	389 (53.7%)	84 (11.6%)	158 (21.8%)	31 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	58 (8.0%)								(n/a)	58.8	52.0			55.2	55.3			61.6		$8,533	$972	$7,561

Frequently Asked Questions about Canton Middle

How many students attend Canton Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 475 students attended Canton Middle.

Is Canton Middle a good school?

Canton Middle ranks 288^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Canton Middle attend?

Students who attend Canton Middle usually go on to attend Pisgah High

What is the racial makeup of Canton Middle?

Students at Canton Middle are 84% White, 11% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Canton Middle in?

Haywood County Schools

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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.