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Swain County Middle School

Q: Is Swain County Middle School a good school?

Swain County Middle School ranks 513 th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

513^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 34% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Swain County Middle School is a public middle school in Bryson City, North Carolina, serving 467 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Swain County Schools district, which is ranked 186 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Swain County Middle School's overall performance on state standardized tests is generally below the state average, the school stands out in its support for certain student subgroups. For example, the school ranks among the top 25% of middle schools in North Carolina for its performance with Native American students and Special Education students. However, the school faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 36.86% to 99.36% in recent years. This suggests the need for targeted interventions and additional resources to address the needs of the school's predominantly low-income student population.

Compared to nearby schools like Mountain View Intermediate and Macon Middle School, Swain County Middle School has a lower overall performance, but a lower student-teacher ratio. This indicates that the school may need to explore ways to improve its instructional practices and resource allocation to better support student learning, despite the challenges of its student population. Analyzing the school's performance trends over time and identifying the factors contributing to these changes could provide valuable insights for the school's continuous improvement efforts.

453

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,023

Per pupil spending ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

135 Arlington Ave
Bryson City, NC 28713

(828) 488-3480

District: Swain County Schools

Students who attend Swain County Middle School usually attend:

High:

Swain County High School

Feeder schools for Swain County Middle School:

Elementary:	Swain County East Elementary
	Swain County West Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.4%

American Indian:

19.4%

Two or more races:

11.3%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Swain County Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 54% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg45%

North Carolina avg54%

513^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

186^th of 242Swain 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	34.4	513 of 773	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.4	368 of 793	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	387 of 784	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	439 of 786	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.9	310 of 741	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.4	335 of 737	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.0	375 of 691	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	52.6	344 of 694	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.8	357 of 692	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	49.4	376 of 705	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	35.7	398 of 627	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.6	345 of 673	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	63.2	275 of 662	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.9	320 of 648	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.6	301 of 640	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	63.9	247 of 630	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.3	281 of 620	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.9	253 of 606	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.8	239 of 598	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	35.8	268 of 449	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.8	75 of 478	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	49.6	211 of 504	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.6	266 of 475	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.8	507 of 733	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.9	343 of 738	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.6	357 of 731	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.9	433 of 733	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.1	321 of 706	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.5	279 of 684	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	313 of 656	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	351 of 458	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	58.4	224 of 461	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.2	335 of 452	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.8	252 of 450	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	247 of 448	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.9	113 of 416	72.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	418 of 729	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.7	271 of 743	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.8	293 of 735	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.7	383 of 689	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.4	131 of 633	79.3%	★★★★☆
2019	59.8	211 of 639	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.8	245 of 604	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	482 of 733	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.9	365 of 751	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	399 of 747	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.0	425 of 748	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.2	281 of 711	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.1	368 of 697	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	421 of 665	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.4	258 of 328	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.9	201 of 306	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	229 of 302	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	255 of 283	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.4	4 of 21	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.9	4 of 21	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	5 of 18	72.2%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	2 of 20	90.0%	★★★★★
2021	84.0	1 of 23	95.7%	★★★★★
2019	67.5	7 of 24	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	58.6	9 of 23	60.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	133 of 478	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	42.6	228 of 473	51.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.1	569 of 649	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.6	470 of 652	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.4	447 of 656	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.0	522 of 658	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.3	341 of 632	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.4	402 of 624	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.8	455 of 596	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Native American (2025)81st percentile+47 vs school

Special Education (2025)72nd percentile+39 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)43rd percentile+9 vs school

Disabled (2022)40th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)34th percentile~ school

Female (2025)31st percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)23rd percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)21st percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)12th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science50%-10 vs state

Mathematics46%-7 vs state

Reading43%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Swain County Middle School

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 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
Swain County Middle School	Public	6-8	135 Arlington Ave	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-3480	453	27	16.5	99.3%	278 (61.4%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	88 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (11.3%)	34.4	513^th of 773 public middle schools	33.6%		52.4	368^th of 793 public middle schools	53.6%	145		43.3	58.2	36.2		42.5	42.6	44.2		50.0	$12,023	$1,993	$10,030
Catamount School	Public	6-8	1 University Drive Reid 100	Cullowhee	28723	Jackson County	Catamount School	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 227-7500	64	6	10.1	37.5%	53 (82.8%)	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.3%)	67	232^nd of 773 public middle schools	70.0%		45.7	431^st of 793 public middle schools	45.6%	199		62.5	56.5	54.2		62.5	65.2	62.5		62.5
Mountain View Intermediate	Public	5-6	161 Clarks Chapel Road	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 349-1325	614	37	16.5	99.5%	460 (74.9%)	3 (0.5%)	127 (20.7%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.3%)								(n/a)	50.7	49.3			43.8	46.1			55.9		$8,190	$1,131	$7,059
Macon Middle School	Public	7-8	1345 Wells Grove Rd	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 524-3766	576	41	13.9	99.5%	402 (69.8%)	6 (1.0%)	149 (25.9%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.3%)	47.3	411^th of 773 public middle schools	46.8%		47.4	420^th of 793 public middle schools	47.0%	9			52.8	44.4			48.4	46.2		63.7	$9,141	$985	$8,156

Frequently Asked Questions about Swain County Middle School

Is Swain County Middle School a good school?

Swain County Middle School ranks 513^th of 773 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Swain County Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 453 students attended Swain County Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Swain County Middle School attend?

Students who attend Swain County Middle School usually go on to attend Swain County High School

What district is Swain County Middle School in?

Swain County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Swain County Middle School?

Students at Swain County Middle School are 61% White, 19% American Indian, 11% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

Rate Swain County Middle School!

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NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Bryson City, 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.