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J Sam Gentry Middle

Q: Is J Sam Gentry Middle a good school?

J Sam Gentry Middle ranks 250 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

250^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 68% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

J Sam Gentry Middle is a public middle school in Mount Airy, NC, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, serving 320 students in grades 6–8 as part of Surry County Schools. The school ranks 250th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools for 2025–2026, putting it in the 68th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating, above its district, which sits in the middle of the state pack. Nearly all of its students (about 99%) come from low-income households, and the school’s chronic absenteeism rate of 24.1% matches the state average but runs well above the 17.9% district average.

J Sam Gentry’s strongest results come in 7th grade math (74.5% proficient), 8th grade reading (65.2%), and 8th grade science (75.7%) — all above district and state averages. That is especially notable because nearby schools serve essentially the same high-poverty population. J Sam Gentry Middle outpaces both Mount Airy Middle and Meadowview Magnet Middle in nearly every subject, even though those schools have more generous per-pupil spending and lower student-teacher ratios. Pilot Mountain Middle remains the area’s top performer, with higher test scores and better attendance, so J Sam Gentry still has room to grow.

The school appears to be on an upswing after several difficult years. Its statewide rank slipped from the mid-70th percentile before the pandemic to the 53rd percentile in 2024–2025, then rebounded to the 68th percentile this year as 8th grade scores jumped sharply. J Sam Gentry is especially effective with English Language Learners, who rank in the 88th percentile statewide, and it also earns strong marks for serving low-income and gifted students. The biggest challenges ahead are reducing chronic absenteeism and strengthening reading in 6th and 7th grades. If those trends continue, the school could return to the top quarter of North Carolina middle schools.

320

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1915 W Pine Street
Mount Airy, NC 27030-8780

(336) 786-4155

District: Surry County Schools

Students who attend J Sam Gentry Middle usually attend:

High:	North Surry High
	Surry Early College

Feeder schools for J Sam Gentry Middle:

Elementary:	Cedar Ridge Elementary
	White Plains Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.0%

Hispanic:

25.0%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare J Sam Gentry Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 78th percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (64% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (68th 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 school64%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg58%

250^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 22% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

106^th of 246Surry 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	64.8	250 of 778	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.1	365 of 773	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	302 of 793	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.0	283 of 784	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.2	261 of 786	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.4	244 of 741	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.8	187 of 737	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	184 of 691	73.4%	★★★★☆
2017	74.4	154 of 694	77.8%	★★★★☆
2016	74.0	150 of 692	78.3%	★★★★☆
2015	74.3	159 of 705	77.4%	★★★★☆
2014	66.1	183 of 627	70.8%	★★★★☆
2013	63.3	211 of 673	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.5	208 of 662	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.6	163 of 648	74.8%	★★★★☆
2010	79.7	96 of 640	85.0%	★★★★☆
2009	78.4	111 of 630	82.4%	★★★★☆
2008	69.1	184 of 620	70.3%	★★★★☆
2007	59.0	280 of 606	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.4	206 of 598	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	40.5	229 of 449	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.2	249 of 478	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.6	115 of 504	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	75.6	42 of 475	91.2%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.2	42 of 363	88.4%	★★★★☆
2025	31.3	268 of 371	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.7	188 of 356	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.4	98 of 318	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	226 of 731	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.0	302 of 733	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	249 of 738	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.4	288 of 731	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.5	269 of 733	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.3	246 of 706	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.2	191 of 684	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	72.9	162 of 656	75.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.5	36 of 465	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	34.6	394 of 461	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	78.4	5 of 452	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	70.2	74 of 450	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	82.4	4 of 448	99.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.1	77 of 566	86.4%	★★★★☆
2025	51.2	248 of 562	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.3	251 of 564	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.4	194 of 553	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.2	198 of 541	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.9	122 of 522	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	78.1	64 of 493	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	88.4	20 of 472	95.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.9	183 of 725	74.8%	★★★★☆
2025	52.9	301 of 729	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.6	292 of 743	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.4	202 of 735	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	50.3	304 of 689	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.6	182 of 633	71.2%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	56 of 639	91.2%	★★★★★
2018	81.8	52 of 604	91.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	262 of 736	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.0	398 of 733	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	362 of 751	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.7	256 of 747	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.6	238 of 748	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.8	230 of 711	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.3	188 of 697	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	201 of 665	69.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	293 of 500	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.7	169 of 478	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.3	330 of 473	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	400 of 644	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.5	432 of 649	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	402 of 652	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.0	352 of 656	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.2	357 of 658	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.5	377 of 632	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.6	289 of 624	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	304 of 596	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)92nd percentile+24 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)88th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)86th percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)75th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)69th percentile~ school

Male (2026)64th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)49th percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2026)41st percentile-26 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science76%+7 vs state

Mathematics67%+11 vs state

Reading56%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near J Sam Gentry 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/reduced lunch	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
J Sam Gentry Middle	Public	6-8	1915 W Pine Street	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 786-4155	320	22	14.4		224 (70.0%)	5 (1.6%)	80 (25.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	64.8	250^th of 778 public middle schools	67.9%		52.1	365^th of 773 public middle schools	52.8%	115	64.7	74.5	62.6	52.1	51.9	65.2	75.7	$9,877	$999	$8,878
Meadowview Magnet Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1282 McKinney Road	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(336) 789-0276	318	24	13.0		197 (61.9%)	11 (3.5%)	85 (26.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.5%)	47.1	421^st of 778 public middle schools	45.9%		45.6	428^th of 773 public middle schools	44.6%	7	57.0	43.9	52.1	51.0	54.2	57.3	67.7	$10,579	$1,000	$9,579
Mount Airy Middle	Public	6-8	249 Hamburg Street	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Mount Airy City Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 789-9021	395	31	12.7		234 (59.2%)	24 (6.1%)	102 (25.8%)	11 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	49	406^th of 778 public middle schools	47.8%		56.7	305^th of 773 public middle schools	60.5%	101	60.0	53.8	57.4	47.0	47.0	52.5	71.6	$10,309	$806	$9,503
Central Middle	Public	6-8	883 Zephyr Rd	Dobson	27017	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 386-4018	502	31	16.2		282 (56.2%)	3 (0.6%)	199 (39.6%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	57.7	325^th of 778 public middle schools	58.2%		48.6	396^th of 773 public middle schools	48.8%	71	67.7	62.0	69.5	49.4	53.1	53.9	66.9	$8,754	$900	$7,854
Pilot Mountain Middle	Public	6-8	543 Old Westfield Road	Pilot Mountain	27041	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 368-2641	401	26	15.5		320 (79.8%)	7 (1.7%)	49 (12.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.5%)	85.6	88^th of 778 public middle schools	88.7%		88.8	62^nd of 773 public middle schools	92.0%	26	69.9	84.4	83.9	64.2	74.8	72.0	87.3	$9,172	$1,003	$8,168
Chestnut Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2185 Chestnut Grove Road	King	27021	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 983-2106	662	40	16.3		575 (86.9%)	17 (2.6%)	44 (6.6%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.2%)	67.6	225^th of 778 public middle schools	71.1%		63.4	259^th of 773 public middle schools	66.5%	34	65.9	70.5	72.0	54.2	54.7	60.7	78.7	$8,536	$580	$7,956

Frequently Asked Questions about J Sam Gentry Middle

What district is J Sam Gentry Middle in?

Surry County Schools

Is J Sam Gentry Middle a good school?

J Sam Gentry Middle ranks 250^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of J Sam Gentry Middle attend?

Students who attend J Sam Gentry Middle usually go on to attend North Surry High

What is the racial makeup of J Sam Gentry Middle?

Students at J Sam Gentry Middle are 70% White, 25% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend J Sam Gentry Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 320 students attended J Sam Gentry 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.