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Ridge Road Middle

Q: Is Ridge Road Middle a good school?

Ridge Road Middle ranks 578 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

578^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 26% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Ridge Road Middle serves roughly 840 students in grades 6–8 in northern Charlotte, near the Cabarrus County line, as part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). The school’s 2025–2026 statewide ranking sits at the 26th percentile (1 star), and nearly its entire student body — 99.64% — qualifies for free or reduced lunch. That places Ridge Road among a cluster of very high-poverty CMS middle schools, yet in stark contrast with schools just across the county line. Harris Road Middle in Cabarrus County Schools, only about 4 miles away, has a 13.5% free/reduced lunch rate and ranks in the 97th percentile. Bailey Middle, a CMS school roughly 7.6 miles away, ranks in the 94th percentile.

The clearest non-academic warning sign for parents is chronic absenteeism: 41.8% of Ridge Road students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, far above the CMS district rate of 26.8% and the state rate of 24.2%. Harris Road Middle, by contrast, sits at just 8.3%. Academically, Ridge Road trails district and state averages in nearly every subject, with math gaps widening from 6th grade (55.1% proficient vs. 61.5% districtwide) to 8th grade (29.6% vs. 54.2%). Reading follows a similar pattern: 8th grade proficiency is 45.8%, compared with 55.8% for CMS. Science is a relative bright spot, with 58.4% of 8th graders proficient.

There are some encouraging signs. Most current-year math and reading scores improved over the prior year, and several student subgroups performed relatively well: Multiracial students ranked at the 72nd percentile statewide, Hispanic students at the 52nd percentile, and English Learner students at the 54th percentile. However, outcomes for Special Education students (13th percentile) and low-income students (29th percentile) remain serious concerns. Ridge Road is not the lowest-performing school in its immediate CMS cluster — it outranks Ranson Middle, James Martin Middle, and Gov's Village STEM (Upper) — but between near-universal poverty, very high absenteeism, and persistent academic struggles, the school continues to face significant challenges.

840

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7260 Highland Creek Pkwy
Charlotte, NC 28269-0805

(980) 344-3410

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Students who attend Ridge Road Middle usually attend:

High:

Mallard Creek High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

66.7%

Hispanic:

18.3%

White:

6.3%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Ridge Road Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 58% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg58%

578^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 28 pts since 2016

From top 46% (2016) to bottom 26% (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	28.3	578 of 778	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.6	642 of 773	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	648 of 793	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.7	605 of 784	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	575 of 786	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	561 of 741	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.5	511 of 737	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	468 of 691	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	51.0	356 of 694	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	53.8	321 of 692	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.4	271 of 705	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.1	238 of 627	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.7	279 of 673	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.5	350 of 662	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.8	375 of 648	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	312 of 553	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.7	342 of 546	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	397 of 560	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.4	334 of 559	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.4	259 of 550	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.1	271 of 533	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.9	233 of 519	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	197 of 494	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.0	98 of 111	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.8	89 of 110	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	88 of 109	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.3	89 of 99	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.6	65 of 102	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.7	63 of 95	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.0	404 of 449	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	58.9	112 of 478	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	38.0	315 of 504	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.1	232 of 475	51.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	168 of 363	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.8	228 of 371	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	165 of 356	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.6	145 of 318	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.0	220 of 312	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.9	92 of 236	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.5	52 of 211	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	37.4	90 of 151	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	547 of 731	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.2	622 of 733	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	621 of 738	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	554 of 731	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	514 of 733	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.5	501 of 706	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.2	473 of 684	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	447 of 656	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	330 of 465	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.1	402 of 458	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.9	268 of 461	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.9	387 of 452	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.3	279 of 450	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.8	203 of 448	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.4	315 of 416	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.5	270 of 566	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.2	418 of 562	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.0	318 of 564	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	288 of 553	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	392 of 541	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	364 of 522	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.4	186 of 493	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.6	294 of 472	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	15 of 59	74.6%	★★★★☆
2025	26.1	38 of 44	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.5	33 of 50	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	43 of 71	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.7	4 of 13	69.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.3	513 of 725	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	567 of 729	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	630 of 743	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	539 of 735	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	502 of 689	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.9	434 of 633	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.6	451 of 639	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.2	372 of 604	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.3	564 of 736	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.5	614 of 733	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	622 of 751	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	605 of 747	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	569 of 748	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	565 of 711	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	513 of 697	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.7	492 of 665	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.8	93 of 333	72.1%	★★★★☆
2025	34.6	227 of 328	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.2	219 of 306	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	220 of 302	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	240 of 283	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.7	124 of 248	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.4	79 of 237	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.2	141 of 221	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.0	433 of 500	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.8	393 of 478	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	469 of 473	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	362 of 644	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.9	505 of 649	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.2	378 of 652	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.1	277 of 656	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	233 of 658	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.9	189 of 632	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	72.8	153 of 624	75.5%	★★★★☆
2018	77.8	105 of 596	82.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Homeless (2026)75th percentile+49 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)72nd percentile+46 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)54th percentile+28 vs school

Hispanic (2026)52nd percentile+27 vs school

White (2026)44th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2026)44th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)29th percentile+4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)29th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)25th percentile~ school

Male (2026)23rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)13th percentile-12 vs school

Asian (2025)12th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)10th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science58%-10 vs state

Reading45%-11 vs state

Mathematics40%-16 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Tuesday, July 26, 2011

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Schools Near Ridge Road 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
Ridge Road Middle	Public	6-8	7260 Highland Creek Pkwy	Charlotte	28269	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 344-3410	840	49	17.1	99.6%	53 (6.3%)	560 (66.7%)	154 (18.3%)	33 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (4.5%)	28.3	578^th of 778 public middle schools	25.7%		19.6	642^nd of 773 public middle schools	16.9%	64		55.1	37.0	29.6		50.0	40.2	45.8		58.4	$8,052	$671	$7,381
Harris Road Middle	Public	6-8	1251 Patriot Blvd	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6470	1,368	68	20.0	13.5%	423 (30.9%)	201 (14.7%)	88 (6.4%)	593 (43.3%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (4.3%)	95.9	27^th of 778 public middle schools	96.5%		97.2	17^th of 773 public middle schools	97.8%	10		93.2	88.8	85.9		89.4	84.6	85.1		91.2	$7,552	$400	$7,151
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
James Martin Middle	Public	6-8	6301 University Pointe Blvd	Charlotte	28262	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5382	659	39	17.1	99.5%	18 (2.7%)	348 (52.8%)	251 (38.1%)	12 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.2%)	18.6	664^th of 778 public middle schools	14.7%		14.1	692^nd of 773 public middle schools	10.5%	28		29.0	30.7	24.3		33.9	43.9	45.5		62.6	$9,806	$1,067	$8,739
Gov's Village STEM (Upper)	Public, Magnet	5-8	7810 Neal Rd	Charlotte	28262	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-5775	684	37	18.5	99.6%	11 (1.6%)	395 (57.7%)	212 (31.0%)	39 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.9%)	23.7	617^th of 778 public middle schools	20.7%		33.1	519^th of 773 public middle schools	32.9%	98	52.3	44.1	39.2	21.9	46.1	40.5	49.5	39.0	69.3	59.6	$8,809	$242	$8,567
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
Harold E. Winkler Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	4501 Weddington Rd NW	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(704) 260-6450	1,094	63	17.3	62.2%	317 (29.0%)	292 (26.7%)	352 (32.2%)	54 (4.9%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	73 (6.7%)	48.5	410^th of 778 public middle schools	47.3%		47.8	406^th of 773 public middle schools	47.5%	4		53.0	50.9	47.6		56.8	62.5	52.4		62.1	$8,533	$668	$7,865
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
Roberta Road Middle	Public	6-8	4850 Roberta Rd	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(704) 260-6840	906	53	17.2	53.8%	307 (33.9%)	278 (30.7%)	218 (24.1%)	45 (5.0%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (5.7%)	53.8	360^th of 778 public middle schools	53.7%		54.5	334^th of 773 public middle schools	56.8%	26		58.2	55.5	48.5		51.2	55.0	62.5		73.2
Bailey Middle	Public	6-8	11900 Bailey Rd	Cornelius	28031	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-1068	1,315	72	18.3	23.5%	806 (61.3%)	127 (9.7%)	202 (15.4%)	106 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	73 (5.6%)	90.1	50^th of 778 public middle schools	93.6%		91.4	49^th of 773 public middle schools	93.7%	1		84.9	78.9	80.3		72.2	77.6	75.3		87.7	$7,387	$321	$7,066

Frequently Asked Questions about Ridge Road Middle

What is the racial makeup of Ridge Road Middle?

Students at Ridge Road Middle are 67% African American, 18% Hispanic, 6% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Is Ridge Road Middle a good school?

Ridge Road Middle ranks 578^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Ridge Road Middle attend?

Students who attend Ridge Road Middle usually go on to attend Mallard Creek High School

What district is Ridge Road Middle in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

How many students attend Ridge Road Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 840 students attended Ridge Road 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.