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East Lincoln Middle

Q: Is East Lincoln Middle a good school?

East Lincoln Middle ranks 216 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

216^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 72% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

East Lincoln Middle in Iron Station, NC, serves 738 students in grades 6–8 as part of Lincoln County Schools. The school holds a solid 4-star rating and ranks in the 72nd percentile of North Carolina middle schools for 2025–2026. About 37.8% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism (18.6%) runs well below the state average of 24.2%, though slightly above the district's 17.2%. Within Lincoln County, East Lincoln is a strong performer, though nearby North Lincoln Middle currently outranks it.

Math and science are East Lincoln's clear academic strengths. Math proficiency exceeds district and state averages at every grade level — for example, 73.8% of 6th graders and 66.3% of 8th graders are proficient versus 59.2% and 53.0% statewide. Eighth-grade science is even stronger: 79.1% proficient versus 68.6% statewide, besting most nearby schools including North Lincoln Middle (73.6%), Mount Holly Middle (76.9%), and Stanley Middle (76.7%). Reading is the relative weak spot: scores are modestly above state averages in 6th and 8th grades, but 7th-grade reading (55.6%) dips below both the district (57.7%) and state (56.3%), and North Lincoln Middle posts notably higher reading scores in 7th (69.9%) and 8th (66.1%) grades.

The school's statewide ranking has slipped gradually over the past decade, from the 87th percentile in 2016–2017 to the 72nd percentile today, even as it has remained a 4-star school. One bright spot is efficiency: at $7,305 per student, East Lincoln spends less than all comparable nearby schools while still producing above-average results. The 7th-grade year appears to be the most fragile, with dips in both math and reading. Subgroup results also point to opportunities for growth, particularly for multilingual learners, multi-racial students, and gifted students, while African American students have shown strong recent improvement. Overall, families can expect a dependable school with strong math and science programs, though shoring up literacy — especially in 7th grade — would help East Lincoln reclaim its former top-tier standing.

738

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

37.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4137 Hwy 73
Iron Station, NC 28080-7709

(704) 732-0761

District: Lincoln County Schools

Students who attend East Lincoln Middle usually attend:

High:

East Lincoln High

Feeder schools for East Lincoln Middle:

Elementary:	Catawba Springs Elementary
	Iron Station Elementary
	St James Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.1%

Hispanic:

12.2%

African American:

7.2%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare East Lincoln Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 82nd percentile in 2016 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (66% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (72nd 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 school66%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg58%

216^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 28%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 18% (2016) to top 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

75^th of 246Lincoln 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	69.3	216 of 778	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	67.9	223 of 773	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.8	181 of 793	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	174 of 784	77.8%	★★★★☆
2022	77.5	156 of 786	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	81.2	123 of 741	83.4%	★★★★☆
2019	81.0	114 of 737	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	105 of 691	84.8%	★★★★☆
2017	83.2	88 of 694	87.3%	★★★★☆
2016	78.8	123 of 692	82.2%	★★★★☆
2015	78.2	132 of 705	81.3%	★★★★☆
2014	77.9	124 of 627	80.2%	★★★★☆
2013	84.5	79 of 673	88.3%	★★★★☆
2012	76.9	126 of 662	81.0%	★★★★☆
2011	79.5	94 of 648	85.5%	★★★★☆
2010	75.4	137 of 640	78.6%	★★★★☆
2009	75.1	144 of 630	77.1%	★★★★☆
2008	77.8	110 of 620	82.3%	★★★★☆
2007	72.5	144 of 606	76.2%	★★★★☆
2006	67.4	186 of 598	68.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	193 of 553	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.2	291 of 546	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.3	187 of 560	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.9	370 of 559	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.5	226 of 550	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.6	228 of 533	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.3	296 of 519	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.2	352 of 494	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	57.3	107 of 449	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	58.6	114 of 478	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	49.3	213 of 504	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.2	43 of 475	90.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.8	224 of 363	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.4	200 of 731	72.6%	★★★★☆
2025	69.7	193 of 733	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	78.5	137 of 738	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	141 of 731	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	114 of 733	84.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.9	87 of 706	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.4	99 of 684	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	81.0	95 of 656	85.5%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.3	297 of 465	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.1	393 of 458	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	56.2	241 of 461	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.2	232 of 452	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.3	111 of 450	75.3%	★★★★☆
2021	72.6	81 of 448	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	73.4	32 of 416	92.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	274 of 566	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.1	198 of 562	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	157 of 564	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	72.4	96 of 553	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	76.0	76 of 541	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	82.2	48 of 522	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	82.3	46 of 493	90.7%	★★★★★
2018	89.9	17 of 472	96.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	309 of 725	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.1	316 of 729	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	206 of 743	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	188 of 735	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.1	96 of 689	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	76.1	86 of 633	86.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.0	154 of 639	75.9%	★★★★☆
2018	70.8	124 of 604	79.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.6	233 of 736	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.9	238 of 733	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.2	229 of 751	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.7	209 of 747	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	70.7	187 of 748	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	78.3	134 of 711	81.2%	★★★★☆
2019	79.7	115 of 697	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.1	103 of 665	84.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.1	195 of 333	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.6	202 of 328	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.0	147 of 306	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.2	202 of 302	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.7	95 of 283	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.0	99 of 248	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.4	77 of 237	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	188 of 500	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.2	212 of 478	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.5	169 of 473	64.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	261 of 644	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.7	261 of 649	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.8	226 of 652	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.8	224 of 656	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.8	208 of 658	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.7	170 of 632	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	72.1	160 of 624	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	69.9	165 of 596	72.3%	★★★★☆

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)76th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)68th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2026)65th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)62nd percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)59th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2026)52nd percentile-21 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)41st percentile-31 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)38th percentile-34 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)36th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science79%+11 vs state

Mathematics68%+12 vs state

Reading59%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near East Lincoln 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
East Lincoln Middle	Public	6-8	4137 Hwy 73	Iron Station	28080	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 732-0761	738	45	16.2	37.8%	532 (72.1%)	53 (7.2%)	90 (12.2%)	7 (0.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (7.0%)	69.3	216^th of 778 public middle schools	72.2%		67.9	223^rd of 773 public middle schools	71.2%	7	73.8	62.8	66.3	62.7	55.6	58.9	79.1	$7,305	$426	$6,879
North Lincoln Middle	Public	6-8	1503 Amity Church Road	Denver	28037	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 736-0262	774	45	17.1	28.9%	626 (80.9%)	28 (3.6%)	70 (9.0%)	10 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (4.9%)	76.3	165^th of 778 public middle schools	78.8%		78.8	143^rd of 773 public middle schools	81.5%	22	74.4	70.3	65.6	64.6	69.9	66.1	73.6	$7,347	$446	$6,901
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
Maiden Middle School	Public	7-8	518 North C Avenue	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 428-2326	451	28	16.4	98.9%	292 (64.7%)	21 (4.7%)	71 (15.7%)	38 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.4%)	56.1	338^th of 778 public middle schools	56.6%		57.8	299^th of 773 public middle schools	61.3%	39		57.3	58.7		61.6	54.3	65.0	$8,168	$563	$7,604
Lincolnton Middle	Public	6-8	2361 Startown Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 735-1120	563	41	13.8	99.5%	250 (44.4%)	79 (14.0%)	166 (29.5%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.3%)	35.3	512^th of 778 public middle schools	34.2%		29.8	551^st of 773 public middle schools	28.7%	39	47.4	46.2	49.7	44.8	44.5	42.9	68.3	$8,847	$1,187	$7,659
Francis Bradley Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	13345 Beatties Ford Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5750	1,089	61	17.9	46.8%	411 (37.7%)	367 (33.7%)	232 (21.3%)	31 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	46 (4.2%)	60.8	289^th of 778 public middle schools	62.9%		65.5	248^th of 773 public middle schools	67.9%	41	72.0	62.6	47.4	62.7	56.4	56.6	68.8	$8,663	$698	$7,965
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
Woodland Heights Middle	Public	6-8	272 Forest Lake Blvd	Mooresville	28117	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 664-4430	581	38	15.4	23.6%	400 (68.8%)	46 (7.9%)	74 (12.7%)	21 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.9%)	78.9	138^th of 778 public middle schools	82.3%		78.4	147^th of 773 public middle schools	81.0%	9	77.7	71.8	68.9	64.6	70.0	62.5	79.9	$7,915	$475	$7,440
Mill Creek Middle	Public	7-8	1041 Shiloh Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-1494	477	30	16.1	45.9%	353 (74.0%)	29 (6.1%)	54 (11.3%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.3%)	63.8	258^th of 778 public middle schools	66.8%		51.7	373^rd of 773 public middle schools	51.7%	115		62.3	60.0		51.8	63.3	78.0	$8,693	$756	$7,937
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

Frequently Asked Questions about East Lincoln Middle

What is the racial makeup of East Lincoln Middle?

Students at East Lincoln Middle are 72% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% African American, 7% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of East Lincoln Middle attend?

Students who attend East Lincoln Middle usually go on to attend East Lincoln High

What district is East Lincoln Middle in?

Lincoln County Schools

How many students attend East Lincoln Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 738 students attended East Lincoln Middle.

Is East Lincoln Middle a good school?

East Lincoln Middle ranks 216^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate East Lincoln 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.