Summary:
Martinsville City Public Schools has one middle school, Martinsville Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 with 387 students in a high-poverty area of Virginia. Because it is the only middle school in the Martinsville City Public Schools district, its test scores represent the district’s middle school performance, which ranks in the 5th percentile statewide.
Martinsville Middle shows a split personality. The school’s advanced math program is exceptional — 7th graders taking Algebra I and 8th graders taking Algebra II both scored 100% proficient in the latest year. This stands in contrast to on-grade-level subjects, where proficiency is much lower: 7th-grade math sits at 45.92%, 8th-grade science at 44.55%, and 8th-grade reading at just 58.18%. The biggest concern is the sharp drop in 8th-grade scores from the prior year, especially in Civics & Economics, which fell from 72.22% to 53.64%, and reading, which fell from 71.88% to 58.18%. These declines likely caused the school’s state rank to slip from the 31st to the 18th percentile. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism is better than both district and state averages at 12.0%, despite 100% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. The school also benefits from a low 11:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $10,949.
For parents, the takeaway is that Martinsville Middle excels at accelerating students in math, and attendance is not a barrier. However, the school struggles to lift proficiency in core subjects like reading, science, and civics, particularly in 8th grade. The strong advanced math results and small class sizes show the school has a solid foundation, but reversing the recent declines in on-grade-level tests will be key to improving its overall ranking. Families should look closely at subject-specific performance when considering this school.
Thank you for your feedback!