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J Sam Gentry Middle

Q: Is J Sam Gentry Middle a good school?

J Sam Gentry Middle ranks 365 th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

365^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 53% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

J Sam Gentry Middle is a public middle school in Mount Airy, North Carolina, serving 346 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Surry County Schools district, which is ranked 88 out of 242 districts in the state.

J Sam Gentry Middle consistently outperforms the Surry County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in mathematics and reading proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 69.9% of 6th graders, 70.5% of 7th graders, and 36.2% of 8th graders at J Sam Gentry Middle were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 63.5%, 61.8%, and 58.7% for the Surry County Schools district, respectively. The school also performs well for various student subgroups, such as female students, Hispanic students, and students with disabilities.

However, the school's performance could be improved by addressing the gap between its own performance and that of the top-performing school in the district, Pilot Mountain Middle. Pilot Mountain Middle consistently outperforms J Sam Gentry Middle in both mathematics and reading proficiency across all grade levels. Additionally, J Sam Gentry Middle has experienced a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 35.68% in 2021-2022 to 99.13% in 2023-2024, which is a key differentiating factor for the school.

320

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,877

Per pupil spending ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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 — 77th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2015

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

!Science scores 18 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg54%

365^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 25 pts since 2015

From top 23% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle Schools in the Surry County Schools

88^th of 242Surry 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)

Special Education (2025)65th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)59th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)59th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)56th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)49th percentile-18 vs school

Male (2025)46th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)33rd percentile-19 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)28th percentile-25 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)15th percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics58%+5 vs state

Reading53%~ state avg

Science42%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near J Sam Gentry Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	99.1%	224 (70.0%)	5 (1.6%)	80 (25.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	52.1	365^th of 773 public middle schools	52.8%		58.3	302^nd of 793 public middle schools	61.9%	63	69.9	70.5	36.2	57.3	61.6	40.5	42.2	$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	99.1%	197 (61.9%)	11 (3.5%)	85 (26.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.5%)	45.6	428^th of 773 public middle schools	44.6%		64.5	255^th of 793 public middle schools	67.8%	173	45.9	43.0	57.3	50.5	50.5	51.0	57.3	$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	99.2%	234 (59.2%)	24 (6.1%)	102 (25.8%)	11 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	56.7	305^th of 773 public middle schools	60.5%		66	241^st of 793 public middle schools	69.6%	64	52.6	64.4	52.7	36.8	51.9	64.1	70.2	$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	99.4%	282 (56.2%)	3 (0.6%)	199 (39.6%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	48.6	396^th of 773 public middle schools	48.8%		52.1	374^th of 793 public middle schools	52.8%	22	58.0	53.2	53.4	45.3	44.2	54.0	57.1	$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	99.3%	320 (79.8%)	7 (1.7%)	49 (12.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.5%)	88.8	62^nd of 773 public middle schools	92.0%		86.7	87^th of 793 public middle schools	89.0%	25	82.4	82.1	83.3	67.2	75.2	68.2	78.7	$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	98.0%	575 (86.9%)	17 (2.6%)	44 (6.6%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.2%)	63.4	259^th of 773 public middle schools	66.5%		69.4	214^th of 793 public middle schools	73.0%	45	62.1	67.3	64.5	54.0	51.2	50.2	68.5	$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 365^th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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.

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

How many students attend J Sam Gentry Middle?

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

Rate J Sam Gentry Middle!

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Schools in Mount Airy, NC

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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.