McClintock Middle

McClintock Middle is a grade 6–8 school in Charlotte, NC, serving about 1,056 students as part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Nearly all of its students (99.7%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it one of the highest-poverty middle schools in the area, yet the school holds a 2-star rating and ranks in the 46th percentile statewide. That ranking reflects steady improvement over the past decade: McClintock climbed from the 26th percentile in 2015-16 to the 50th percentile as recently as 2024-25, a trajectory that sets it apart from other schools serving similar populations.

McClintock's strongest academic subject is math, particularly in the upper grades. In 2025-26, 8th grade math proficiency reached 65.7%, well above the district (54.2%) and state (53.0%), and 7th grade math also beat district and state averages. Reading is a different story — proficiency trails the district by roughly 6 to 11 percentage points in every grade. Subgroup results are notably encouraging: the school ranks in the 82nd percentile statewide for African American students, 87th for White students, 68th for low-income students, and 95th for homeless students. Girls and Hispanic students, however, rank below the schoolwide average, so outcomes are not uniform.

Compared with nearby schools, McClintock is the strongest high-poverty middle school in the area. It outranks Northeast Middle, Eastway Middle, and Albemarle Road Middle by wide margins despite nearly identical poverty levels. Higher-ranked neighbors like Randolph Middle, Piedmont Middle School, and Crestdale Middle serve far fewer low-income students. Chronic absenteeism (35.5%) is a challenge, running about 1.5 times the state rate, though it is better than Eastway's 44.1% and Albemarle Road's 45.3%. For parents, McClintock is a school that beats demographic expectations and posts competitive math results — improving literacy is the clearest next step toward a higher statewide ranking.