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Coulwood STEM Academy

Q: Is Coulwood STEM Academy a good school?

Coulwood STEM Academy ranks 266 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-8

266^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 66% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Coulwood STEM Academy is a 6–8 middle school in Charlotte, NC, serving 632 students as part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The school serves an extremely high-poverty population, with nearly all students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Coulwood ranks in the 66th percentile of North Carolina middle schools and has earned a 3-star SchoolDigger rating. It also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.9, which is lower than many nearby middle schools.

The school's biggest academic strengths are math and science. In recent testing, math proficiency ranged from roughly 68–74% across grade levels, outpacing both district and state averages by 10–17 percentage points. Eighth-grade science is especially impressive, with 81.7% of students proficient compared to about 68% across the district and state. These results are noteworthy given the school's poverty level. Coulwood also stands out for its exceptional outcomes among historically underserved student groups, with English Learner, low-income, African American, Hispanic, and special education students all ranking in the top quartile statewide. The contrast with Wilson STEM Academy, a nearby school with nearly identical demographics and a similar STEM focus, is dramatic: Coulwood outperforms Wilson by roughly 25–40 percentage points in math and science.

Reading proficiency is Coulwood's primary weakness, running below district and state averages in every grade, with 7th grade showing the largest gap. Chronic absenteeism is another concern, affecting 36.6% of students compared to the state rate of 24.2%. Still, the school's trajectory is clearly upward: over the past decade, Coulwood has climbed from the bottom third of state middle schools into the upper third through steady, sustained improvement. With continued focus on literacy and attendance, this already strong STEM school has room to climb even higher.

632

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 Kentberry Dr
Charlotte, NC 28214-1160

(980) 343-6090

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Students who attend Coulwood STEM Academy usually attend:

High:

West Mecklenburg High School

Feeder schools for Coulwood STEM Academy:

Elementary:	Paw Creek Elementary
	River Oaks Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

63.3%

Hispanic:

26.1%

White:

4.0%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Coulwood STEM Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (63% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 24% North Carolina)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg58%

266^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 34%▲ up 31 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

105^th of 246Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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	63.3	266 of 778	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.3	281 of 773	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.5	290 of 793	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.4	356 of 784	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	367 of 786	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.7	458 of 741	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.9	421 of 737	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	456 of 691	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.7	383 of 694	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.7	451 of 692	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.9	524 of 705	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.9	583 of 627	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	28.6	484 of 673	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.4	504 of 662	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.1	500 of 648	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.7	491 of 640	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	36.6	467 of 630	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.2	469 of 620	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	36.8	451 of 606	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.9	368 of 598	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.3	79 of 553	85.7%	★★★★☆
2025	73.0	102 of 546	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.4	101 of 560	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	70.0	107 of 559	80.9%	★★★★☆
2022	70.4	99 of 550	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	61.3	120 of 533	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.0	116 of 519	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	59.6	156 of 494	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	36.5	70 of 95	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	49.4	160 of 449	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.6	403 of 478	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	415 of 504	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	414 of 475	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.2	36 of 363	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	77.8	38 of 371	89.8%	★★★★★
2024	88.4	18 of 356	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	72.1	31 of 318	90.3%	★★★★★
2022	76.8	23 of 312	92.6%	★★★★★
2021	42.2	115 of 236	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.1	39 of 211	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	47.7	55 of 151	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.9	225 of 731	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.7	280 of 733	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	260 of 738	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	316 of 731	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.1	314 of 733	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.6	415 of 706	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.8	414 of 684	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	462 of 656	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	40 of 465	91.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.0	102 of 566	82.0%	★★★★☆
2025	85.2	46 of 562	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	82.0	58 of 564	89.7%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	89 of 553	83.9%	★★★★☆
2022	72.2	98 of 541	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	64.0	134 of 522	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	67.2	106 of 493	78.5%	★★★★☆
2018	64.5	126 of 472	73.3%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	72.9	7 of 37	81.1%	★★★★☆
2019	71.3	13 of 71	81.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.6	84 of 725	88.4%	★★★★☆
2025	77.1	105 of 729	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	70.0	154 of 743	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	208 of 735	71.7%	★★★★☆
2022	64.4	180 of 689	73.9%	★★★★☆
2021	44.2	331 of 633	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.6	243 of 639	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.7	358 of 604	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	287 of 736	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.0	257 of 733	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	299 of 751	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	357 of 747	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.8	374 of 748	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.7	459 of 711	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.0	404 of 697	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.0	434 of 665	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.1	48 of 333	85.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.3	116 of 500	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	75.0	42 of 478	91.2%	★★★★★
2024	63.4	89 of 473	81.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	42.5	385 of 652	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.2	361 of 656	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.4	408 of 632	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.8	297 of 624	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.6	282 of 596	52.7%	★★★☆☆

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)91st percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)90th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)88th percentile+23 vs school

African American (2026)86th percentile+20 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)86th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)82nd percentile+16 vs school

Homeless (2022)81st percentile+28 vs school

Special Education (2026)77th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)69th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)64th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)61st percentile-5 vs school

White (2024)41st percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2018)26th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science82%+13 vs state

Mathematics71%+15 vs state

Reading50%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Coulwood STEM Academy

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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
Coulwood STEM Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	500 Kentberry Dr	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6090	632	42	14.9	99.5%	25 (4.0%)	400 (63.3%)	165 (26.1%)	20 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.3%)	63.3	266^th of 778 public middle schools	65.8%		60.3	281^st of 773 public middle schools	63.6%	15	74.2	68.5	69.8	51.3	44.9	54.5	81.7	$9,982	$1,296	$8,685
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
Wilson STEM Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	7020 Tuckaseegee Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6070	456	23	19.4	99.3%	16 (3.5%)	272 (59.6%)	135 (29.6%)	12 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.2%)	17.3	669^th of 778 public middle schools	14.0%		18.3	653^rd of 773 public middle schools	15.5%	16	37.7	42.0	38.7	35.1	41.4	31.6	42.2	$10,408	$1,128	$9,279
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
Ranson Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	5850 Statesville Rd	Charlotte	28269	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6800	757	44	17.1	99.6%	13 (1.7%)	465 (61.4%)	230 (30.4%)	31 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.4%)	8.7	730^th of 778 public middle schools	6.2%		6	741^st of 773 public middle schools	4.1%	11	30.7	31.6	23.1	30.5	29.0	32.3	41.8	$8,974	$1,334	$7,640
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
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
J. M. Alexander Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	12010 Hambright Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-3830	799	43	18.6	99.6%	39 (4.9%)	466 (58.3%)	246 (30.8%)	20 (2.5%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.0%)	21.9	637^th of 778 public middle schools	18.1%		14.5	690^th of 773 public middle schools	10.7%	53	51.3	32.9	31.1	52.1	37.2	38.5	43.5	$8,261	$602	$7,659
First Ward Creative Arts Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	715 N. Caldwell St	Charlotte	28202	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-5485	421	29	14.6	99.3%	12 (2.9%)	321 (76.2%)	54 (12.8%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.7%)	88.1	70^th of 778 public middle schools	91.0%					(n/a)	68.8	76.0	68.5	79.5	84.6	83.5	89.0	$10,544	$1,199	$9,345
Turning Point Middle	Public	6-8	2300 W Sugar Creek Rd	Charlotte	28262	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(980) 343-5681	62	15	4.1	95.2%	1 (1.6%)	49 (79.0%)	8 (12.9%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.8%)	3.5	761^st of 778 public middle schools	2.2%		2.4	760^th of 773 public middle schools	1.7%	1	6.7	12.0	13.0	12.5	34.6	26.1	25.5

Frequently Asked Questions about Coulwood STEM Academy

How many students attend Coulwood STEM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 632 students attended Coulwood STEM Academy.

Is Coulwood STEM Academy a good school?

Coulwood STEM Academy ranks 266^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Coulwood STEM Academy attend?

Students who attend Coulwood STEM Academy usually go on to attend West Mecklenburg High School

What district is Coulwood STEM Academy in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

What is the racial makeup of Coulwood STEM Academy?

Students at Coulwood STEM Academy are 63% African American, 26% Hispanic, 4% White, 3% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Rate Coulwood STEM Academy!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.