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Pilot Mountain Middle

Q: Is Pilot Mountain Middle a good school?

Pilot Mountain Middle ranks 88 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

88^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 89% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Pilot Mountain Middle is a public school in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, serving 401 students in grades 6–8 as part of Surry County Schools. On the most recent 2025–2026 state rankings, it is the 88th-best middle school in North Carolina out of 778 ranked schools—an 89th-percentile finish and a 4-star rating. That places this small-town school well above its district, since Surry County Schools as a whole ranks in the 57th percentile of North Carolina districts.

The school’s strengths show up consistently in End-of-Grade test results. In 2025–2026, every subject and every grade level beat both the Surry County Schools average and the statewide average, often by wide margins. Eighth-grade science is a standout: 87.3% of students scored proficient, compared with 68.6% statewide. Math is just as impressive, with 84.4% of 7th graders and 83.9% of 8th graders proficient. Pilot Mountain also outranks its same-district neighbors—J Sam Gentry Middle sits in the 68th percentile, Central Middle in the 58th, and Meadowview Magnet Middle in the 46th—making it the top-ranked middle school in Surry County Schools. Among nearby schools in the wider region, only Lewisville Middle, about 20 miles away, ranks higher.

What makes this record especially striking is the student population: 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school’s low-income students score in the 91st percentile statewide. Nor is this a one-year fluke—Pilot Mountain Middle has ranked in the top 200 middle schools in North Carolina for ten straight years. Attendance is also improving, with chronic absenteeism falling from roughly 36–40% during the pandemic to 16.6% in 2024–2025. That is below the state average and lower than nearby schools such as Northwest Middle and Chestnut Grove Middle School. For parents, the picture is a middle school that combines consistently high achievement with meaningful support for students who face economic challenges.

401

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

543 Old Westfield Road
Pilot Mountain, NC 27041

(336) 368-2641

District: Surry County Schools

Students who attend Pilot Mountain Middle usually attend:

High:	East Surry High
	Surry Early College

Feeder schools for Pilot Mountain Middle:

Elementary:	Pilot Mountain Elementary
	Shoals Elementary
	Westfield Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.8%

Hispanic:

12.2%

Two or more races:

5.5%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Pilot Mountain Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 84th percentile in 2016 → 89th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (77% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of North Carolina middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school77%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg58%

88^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 16% (2016) to top 11% (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	85.6	88 of 778	88.7%	★★★★☆
2025	88.8	62 of 773	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	86.7	87 of 793	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	83.4	107 of 784	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	81.4	133 of 786	83.1%	★★★★☆
2021	70.5	196 of 741	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	81.4	110 of 737	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	79.5	114 of 691	83.5%	★★★★☆
2017	80.6	112 of 694	83.9%	★★★★☆
2016	79.4	113 of 692	83.7%	★★★★☆
2015	76.1	146 of 705	79.3%	★★★★☆
2014	68.1	171 of 627	72.7%	★★★★☆
2013	75.2	138 of 673	79.5%	★★★★☆
2012	77.1	119 of 662	82.0%	★★★★☆
2011	74.6	151 of 648	76.7%	★★★★☆
2010	74.8	142 of 640	77.8%	★★★★☆
2009	77.0	121 of 630	80.8%	★★★★☆
2008	78.1	106 of 620	82.9%	★★★★☆
2007	74.9	113 of 606	81.4%	★★★★☆
2006	78.7	76 of 598	87.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	60.7	93 of 449	79.3%	★★★★☆
2021	68.9	63 of 478	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	64.3	108 of 504	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	66.9	71 of 475	85.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	83.8	86 of 731	88.2%	★★★★☆
2025	89.9	53 of 733	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	87.5	79 of 738	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	81.3	113 of 731	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	76.2	156 of 733	78.7%	★★★★☆
2021	65.7	216 of 706	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.2	166 of 684	75.7%	★★★★☆
2018	79.2	111 of 656	83.1%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.9	102 of 465	78.1%	★★★★☆
2025	77.4	7 of 458	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	75.9	22 of 461	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	64.4	163 of 452	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.6	135 of 450	70.0%	★★★★☆
2021	70.9	107 of 448	76.1%	★★★★☆
2019	73.3	36 of 416	91.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.7	22 of 566	96.1%	★★★★★
2025	93.7	23 of 562	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	92.4	33 of 564	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	80.7	58 of 553	89.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.1	126 of 541	76.7%	★★★★☆
2021	50.3	240 of 522	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.9	125 of 493	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	47.9	244 of 472	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.1	66 of 725	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	89.7	42 of 729	94.2%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	35 of 743	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	86.5	47 of 735	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	79.3	82 of 689	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	65.6	152 of 633	76.0%	★★★★☆
2019	79.7	71 of 639	88.9%	★★★★☆
2018	77.4	80 of 604	86.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.5	84 of 736	88.6%	★★★★☆
2025	86.5	78 of 733	89.4%	★★★★☆
2024	83.8	92 of 751	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	105 of 747	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	84.2	99 of 748	86.8%	★★★★☆
2021	72.9	173 of 711	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	84.4	85 of 697	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	78.4	114 of 665	82.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	92 of 500	81.6%	★★★★☆
2025	86.9	16 of 478	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	61.9	102 of 473	78.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.3	186 of 644	71.1%	★★★★☆
2025	75.7	134 of 649	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	72.6	160 of 652	75.5%	★★★★☆
2023	69.6	184 of 656	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	68.0	190 of 658	71.1%	★★★★☆
2021	56.7	244 of 632	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.9	176 of 624	71.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	162 of 596	72.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)96th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)91st percentile~ school

Male (2026)89th percentile~ school

Female (2026)88th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)82nd percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)79th percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)78th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science87%+19 vs state

Mathematics79%+23 vs state

Reading70%+15 vs state

2.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, April 30, 2021

Teachers bully students. And when a parent gets involved, the school blames the parent and sweeps the actions of the staff under the rug. They don’t follow IEP guidelines and blame the student when they fail. This school has failed my child. How that principal gets voted best every year, I don’t know. She’s a joke!!!! And someone needs to come in there and clean house. Most of the staff needs to go. Show some concern for the students, that’s what you are there for. Do NOT send your child to this school. The teachers verbally abuse and single out kids they don’t like. And no one will listen when uou file a complaint!!!! Close Quote

by a student
Thursday, August 20, 2020

I went to this school last year... kids juuled in the bathrooms, no discipline actions were never taken into place until a parent got involved, teachers came everyday to just do their jobs, get paid, then leave. This school is a literal joke, everyone in class of 2024 hated it, kids got bullied and belittled for being different, staff were never held accountable for their actions. This school sucked as an overall, and I would not want my kids going to such a place! Close Quote

Schools Near Pilot Mountain 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 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
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%)	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	98.0%	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
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%)	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
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%)	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
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%)	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
Piney Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	3415 Piney Grove Church Road	Lawsonville	27022	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 593-4000	189	17	11.2	98.4%	165 (87.3%)	4 (2.1%)	13 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.7%)	52.4	375^th of 778 public middle schools	51.8%		70.6	193^rd of 773 public middle schools	75.0%	182	50.7	60.0	45.0	56.3	58.5	53.3	75.0	$10,513	$712	$9,800
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%)	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
Northwest Middle	Public	6-8	5501 Murray Road	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4161	702	48	14.5	99.6%	71 (10.1%)	282 (40.2%)	299 (42.6%)	10 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (5.1%)	10.7	719^th of 778 public middle schools	7.6%		9.2	725^th of 773 public middle schools	6.2%	6	42.4	32.4	25.1	33.9	28.0	29.0	41.3	$9,092	$1,130	$7,962
Forbush Middle	Public	6-8	1431 Falcon Rd	East Bend	27018	Yadkin County	Yadkin County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 551-1135	598	35	16.9	99.2%	379 (63.4%)	11 (1.8%)	194 (32.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	41	470^th of 778 public middle schools	39.6%		54.7	332^nd of 773 public middle schools	57.1%	138	54.1	41.8	61.3	47.3	47.3	43.3	68.0	$8,543	$1,000	$7,543
Southeastern Stokes Middle School	Public	6-8	1044 N Main Street	Walnut Cove	27052	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 591-4371	413	28	14.8	98.3%	330 (79.9%)	31 (7.5%)	20 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.5%)	24.4	608^th of 778 public middle schools	21.9%		21	627^th of 773 public middle schools	18.9%	19	42.7	42.2	31.8	28.2	50.0	44.2	59.7	$10,154	$904	$9,250

Frequently Asked Questions about Pilot Mountain Middle

What high school do graduates of Pilot Mountain Middle attend?

Students who attend Pilot Mountain Middle usually go on to attend East Surry High

How many students attend Pilot Mountain Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 401 students attended Pilot Mountain Middle.

Is Pilot Mountain Middle a good school?

Pilot Mountain Middle ranks 88^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Pilot Mountain Middle in?

Surry County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Pilot Mountain Middle?

Students at Pilot Mountain Middle are 80% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.