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North Garner Middle

Q: Is North Garner Middle a good school?

North Garner Middle ranks 569 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

569^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 27% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

North Garner Middle is a public school in Garner, NC, serving 831 students in grades 6–8 and operating as part of the high-performing Wake County Schools district. The school has experienced a steady academic decline, dropping from the 44th percentile in 2022–23 to its current ranking of 569th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools, which places it in the bottom third of the state with a 1-star rating.

Academic proficiency rates at North Garner significantly trail district averages across every subject, with gaps of roughly 20–27 percentage points in math and reading. Only about 4 in 10 students score proficient on core EOGs, compared to roughly two-thirds of students districtwide. Eighth-grade math is the most urgent concern at 37.5% proficiency, while eighth-grade science is a relative bright spot at 61.7%. The school is also marked by substantial challenges outside the classroom: the reported free/reduced lunch rate is 99.6%, and 31.0% of students are chronically absent—both well above district and state averages. Low-income, English Language Learner, Hispanic, and special education students rank in the bottom 20th percentile against their statewide peer groups, with special education outcomes falling near the very bottom.

Comparisons to nearby schools illustrate that North Garner is part of a cluster of highly impacted schools in the area. East Garner Middle, just 1.73 miles away, has nearly identical demographics and similarly low results. However, higher-performing schools like Carnage Middle, Ligon Middle, and Moore Square Middle serve far more economically diverse populations and report significantly lower chronic absenteeism, while outperforming North Garner by 25–35 percentage points in core subjects. Since spending per pupil is similar to higher-performing schools, the evidence suggests that concentrated poverty and attendance, rather than funding, are the most visible factors driving outcomes, pointing to a need for intensive academic intervention and attendance support for the students who need it most.

831

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

720 Powell Dr
Garner, NC 27529-3164

(919) 662-2434

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend North Garner Middle usually attend:

High:	Garner High
	Wake Early College of Health and Science
	Wake STEM Early College High School
	Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
	More...
	Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

Feeder schools for North Garner Middle:

Elementary:	Rand Road Elementary
	Smith Elementary
	Timber Drive Elementary
	Vandora Springs Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

32.1%

African American:

31.9%

White:

29.8%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare North Garner Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2016 → 27th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (46% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg58%

569^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From top 46% (2016) to bottom 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

60^th of 246Wake 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	28.8	569 of 778	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.6	560 of 773	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	559 of 793	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	441 of 784	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	507 of 786	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.7	483 of 741	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.7	400 of 737	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	416 of 691	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.5	426 of 694	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	54.4	317 of 692	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.2	289 of 705	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	39.4	379 of 627	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.3	376 of 673	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.7	401 of 662	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.9	384 of 648	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.1	381 of 640	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.6	397 of 630	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.2	371 of 620	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.0	414 of 606	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.8	350 of 598	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	385 of 553	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.8	374 of 546	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.4	441 of 560	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.6	321 of 559	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.6	344 of 550	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.2	309 of 533	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.5	200 of 519	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.4	240 of 494	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	28.7	337 of 449	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.7	293 of 478	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.8	443 of 504	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	304 of 475	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.9	320 of 363	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.0	292 of 371	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	326 of 356	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.7	212 of 318	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.6	241 of 312	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.6	106 of 236	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.8	118 of 211	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	101 of 151	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	537 of 731	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.7	542 of 733	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	539 of 738	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.0	442 of 731	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	491 of 733	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.4	502 of 706	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.1	351 of 684	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	436 of 656	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	371 of 465	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	62.0	194 of 458	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	239 of 461	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.5	112 of 452	75.2%	★★★★☆
2022	45.9	323 of 450	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	67.8	138 of 448	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.2	131 of 416	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	492 of 566	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.3	475 of 562	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	473 of 564	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	449 of 553	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	491 of 541	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	426 of 522	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.9	335 of 493	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.9	351 of 472	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	43 of 59	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	37 of 44	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.9	22 of 50	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	79.6	2 of 50	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	45.2	18 of 37	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.3	41 of 71	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	584 of 725	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.9	589 of 729	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	586 of 743	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	473 of 735	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	556 of 689	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	454 of 633	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.8	356 of 639	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.4	397 of 604	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	561 of 736	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	540 of 733	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.8	543 of 751	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.9	428 of 747	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	484 of 748	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.7	436 of 711	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	422 of 697	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.2	390 of 665	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.0	51 of 67	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	221 of 333	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.2	288 of 328	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	63.8	93 of 306	69.6%	★★★★☆
2023	60.4	96 of 302	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.7	97 of 283	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.7	481 of 500	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	30.0	364 of 478	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	432 of 473	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	315 of 644	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.3	332 of 649	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	369 of 652	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.4	253 of 656	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.1	310 of 658	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.3	339 of 632	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.1	277 of 624	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.2	289 of 596	51.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)51st percentile+24 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)34th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2026)30th percentile+4 vs school

Homeless (2026)27th percentile~ school

Female (2026)27th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)25th percentile-11 vs school

Military Connected (2026)24th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)24th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)20th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)13th percentile-14 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)12th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science62%-7 vs state

Reading44%-11 vs state

Mathematics42%-14 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, July 14, 2015

I would like to give this school 0 stars but, that was not an option. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, June 6, 2014

Teachers and staff do nothing when they see students getting physically or verbally harassed by other students. Close Quote

Schools Near North Garner 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
North Garner Middle	Public	6-8	720 Powell Dr	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 662-2434	831	54	15.5	99.6%	248 (29.8%)	265 (31.9%)	267 (32.1%)	14 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.5%)	28.8	569^th of 778 public middle schools	26.9%		28.6	560^th of 773 public middle schools	27.6%	9	44.6	43.5	37.5	46.5	44.9	41.6	61.7	$9,338	$475	$8,863
East Garner Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	6301 Jones Sausage Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 662-2339	1,109	71	15.6	99.7%	148 (13.3%)	514 (46.3%)	355 (32.0%)	51 (4.6%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	34 (3.1%)	28.5	575^th of 778 public middle schools	26.1%		34.1	516^th of 773 public middle schools	33.2%	59	47.8	40.5	39.3	45.5	46.9	42.2	57.4	$8,808	$540	$8,269
Carnage Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1425 Carnage Dr	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7600	924	61	15.0	30.8%	77 (8.3%)	227 (24.6%)	79 (8.5%)	514 (55.6%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (2.5%)	80.9	120^th of 778 public middle schools	84.6%		86.3	83^rd of 773 public middle schools	89.3%	37	76.3	72.3	67.3	71.2	74.9	71.6	71.6	$9,215	$431	$8,784
Ligon Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	706 E Lenoir St	Raleigh	27601	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7929	959	63	15.1	34.5%	435 (45.4%)	303 (31.6%)	117 (12.2%)	58 (6.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (4.6%)	70.4	206^th of 778 public middle schools	73.5%		76.3	160^th of 773 public middle schools	79.3%	46	60.1	64.0	58.4	64.2	68.3	66.5	78.2	$8,934	$336	$8,597
Moore Square Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	301 South Person Street	Raleigh	27601	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 664-5737	594	47	12.7	29.0%	297 (50.0%)	169 (28.5%)	72 (12.1%)	20 (3.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.4%)	85.8	84^th of 778 public middle schools	89.2%		86.5	81^st of 773 public middle schools	89.5%	3	77.2	68.2	72.5	77.3	74.1	78.1	82.4	$11,326	$607	$10,719
Centennial Campus Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1900 Main Campus Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 233-4217	477	37	12.9	99.4%	69 (14.5%)	231 (48.4%)	150 (31.4%)	14 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.7%)	22.4	631^st of 778 public middle schools	18.9%		17.5	667^th of 773 public middle schools	13.7%	36	41.7	44.4	33.3	40.6	46.4	37.8	48.9	$11,386	$725	$10,660
River Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	4700 New Bern Ave	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 231-5600	7	19	.3		1 (14.3%)	5 (71.4%)	1 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$33,564	$1,102	$32,462
Dillard Drive Middle	Public	6-8	5200 Dillard Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 233-4228	977	66	14.7	50.5%	381 (39.0%)	241 (24.7%)	278 (28.5%)	45 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (3.2%)	46	429^th of 778 public middle schools	44.9%		46.6	423^rd of 773 public middle schools	45.3%	6	59.3	45.0	46.2	53.6	51.2	52.7	70.6	$8,594	$467	$8,126
Oberlin Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2816 Oberlin Rd	Raleigh	27608	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 881-4860	1,049	69	15.1	30.1%	594 (56.6%)	192 (18.3%)	185 (17.6%)	34 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (4.0%)	78.6	142^nd of 778 public middle schools	81.7%		80.5	132^nd of 773 public middle schools	82.9%	10	74.5	67.3	63.7	71.1	68.9	66.9	79.8	$8,583	$379	$8,204
Martin Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1701 Ridge Rd	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 881-4970	1,011	61	16.6	29.6%	454 (44.9%)	174 (17.2%)	150 (14.8%)	205 (20.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (2.5%)	85	92^nd of 778 public middle schools	88.2%		84.8	96^th of 773 public middle schools	87.6%	4	76.6	77.8	65.8	73.4	78.7	73.6	79.3	$9,504	$524	$8,981

Frequently Asked Questions about North Garner Middle

What high school do graduates of North Garner Middle attend?

Students who attend North Garner Middle usually go on to attend Garner High

What is the racial makeup of North Garner Middle?

Students at North Garner Middle are 32% Hispanic, 32% African American, 30% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend North Garner Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 831 students attended North Garner Middle.

Is North Garner Middle a good school?

North Garner Middle ranks 569^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is North Garner Middle in?

Wake County Schools

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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.