Summary:
There are two public middle schools serving grades 6–8 in zip code 28906 (Murphy, NC area), enrolling roughly 475 students combined: Murphy Middle and Hiwassee Dam Middle, both part of Cherokee County Schools, a district ranked 122nd in the state with a 3-star rating.
Hiwassee Dam Middle is the stronger overall academic performer. It ranks #242 in the state (69th percentile) versus Murphy Middle’s #381 (51st percentile). On 2025–26 EOG tests, Hiwassee Dam posts about 64.7% proficiency across all subjects/grades, compared to roughly 56.0% at Murphy Middle. Hiwassee Dam outperforms Murphy in every math grade level tested and in 6th-grade reading. However, Murphy Middle is stronger in upper-grade reading and science, exceeding Hiwassee Dam in 7th-grade reading (65% vs. 57.9%), 8th-grade reading (60% vs. 48.7%), and 8th-grade science (81.7% vs. 76.9%). Hiwassee Dam also has more favorable non-academic metrics: a smaller student body (122 vs. 353), a lower student-teacher ratio (13.5 vs. 15.4), higher per-student spending ($13,929 vs. $10,209), and lower chronic absenteeism (28.5% vs. 45.1%). Murphy Middle’s chronic absenteeism rate of 45.1% is far above the district rate of 38.7% and nearly double the state rate of 24.2%.
Both schools serve extremely high-poverty populations, with free/reduced lunch eligibility above 96%. Despite this, both outperform the district average on combined EOG results, and science is a notable shared strength—each school beat the state average in 8th-grade science in both 2024–25 and 2025–26. Murphy Middle’s biggest challenge is 8th-grade math, where proficiency has lingered near 27–28% for two consecutive years, over 20 points behind the state. Hiwassee Dam’s scores are more volatile due to its small size; for example, its 6th-grade reading proficiency jumped from 37.8% to 75.0% in one year. For parents, these schools offer solid options, but Hiwassee Dam’s stronger academics, better attendance, and smaller class sizes make it the standout in the area.
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