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S. Gordon Stewart Middle

Q: Is S. Gordon Stewart Middle a good school?

S. Gordon Stewart Middle ranks 241 st of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

241^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 42% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

S. Gordon Stewart Middle is a public school in Fort Defiance, Virginia, serving 516 students in grades 6–8 as part of Augusta County Public Schools. The school ranks in the middle of the pack among Virginia middle schools — 241st out of 416 (42nd percentile) for 2025–26 — placing it right around the district average. About 68.6% of students now qualify for free/reduced lunch, up sharply from 47.4% two years ago, and chronic absenteeism sits at 17.6%, above both the district (14.9%) and state (14.8%) averages.

Academically, the school shows a mixed picture. Sixth-grade math is a genuine standout at 77.6% proficiency, well above the district (65.7%) and state (63.2%), and the Algebra I pathway is strong with 100% proficiency. However, 8th-grade math proficiency is just 48.5%, below the district average and trailing several nearby schools like Montevideo Middle (64.4%) and Wilbur S. Pence Middle (61.2%). The biggest concern is 7th-grade reading, where only 58.1% of students are proficient — well below the state average of 73.0% and far behind Riverheads Middle (80.6%) and Montevideo Middle (81.0%). Civics scores also lag, at 67.2% versus 71.2% for the district.

Subgroup data reveals that some student populations are not achieving at the same level as others, and attendance is a key lever to watch — the 17.6% chronic absenteeism rate is more than double that of Montevideo Middle (7.1%). On a positive note, Stewart Middle achieves overall results comparable to Wilbur S. Pence Middle despite serving a higher-need population with more economic disadvantage. Per-pupil spending is $9,115 with a 13.1 student-teacher ratio, both mid-range compared with surrounding schools.

516

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,115

Per pupil spending ?

68.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

118 Fort Defiance Rd
Fort Defiance, VA 24437

(540) 245-5046

District: Augusta County Public Schools

Students who attend S. Gordon Stewart Middle usually attend:

High:

Fort Defiance High

Feeder schools for S. Gordon Stewart Middle:

Elementary:

Edward G. Clymore Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.6%

Hispanic:

13.4%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare S. Gordon Stewart Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 41st percentile in 2016 → 42nd in 2026

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg68%

Virginia avg68%

241^st of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the Augusta County Public Schools

75^th of 131Augusta County Public Schools among Virginia 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	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	241 of 416	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.2	269 of 419	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	252 of 417	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	208 of 422	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.9	181 of 415	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.8	166 of 419	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.5	201 of 424	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.6	256 of 413	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.0	253 of 415	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.9	241 of 409	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.2	212 of 412	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.3	290 of 416	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.1	272 of 416	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.0	251 of 413	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	38.3	294 of 413	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	52.1	193 of 408	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	50.0	191 of 390	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.6	130 of 391	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	55.7	158 of 387	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	44.3	235 of 383	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	67.4	110 of 340	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	214 of 292	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	253 of 409	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.2	266 of 403	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	244 of 407	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.1	183 of 411	55.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	32.0	207 of 283	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.8	206 of 279	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.1	175 of 272	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.5	75 of 275	72.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	250 of 401	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.4	292 of 403	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.5	263 of 402	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	227 of 410	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.4	256 of 404	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.9	249 of 407	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	220 of 409	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	34.0	309 of 400	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.8	326 of 400	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	341 of 396	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	319 of 402	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)45th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile-15 vs school

Disabled (2026)27th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)23rd percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I100%+7 vs state

Civics and Economics67%-8 vs state

English Reading66%-7 vs state

Science65%~ state avg

Mathematics64%+9 vs state

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Schools Near S. Gordon Stewart 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)				SOL Geometry (2026)	SOL Algebra I (2026)	SOL Mathematics (2026)			SOL Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)			SOL Civics and Economics (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
S. Gordon Stewart Middle	Public	6-8	118 Fort Defiance Rd	Fort Defiance	24437	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 245-5046	516	39	13.1	68.6%	416 (80.6%)	9 (1.7%)	69 (13.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.7%)	48.1	241^st of 416 public middle schools	42.1%		41.2	269^th of 419 public middle schools	35.8%	28		100.0	77.6	63.5	48.5	64.5	69.6	58.1	69.9		67.2	$9,115	$183	$8,931
Wilson Middle	Public	6-8	232 Hornet Road	Fishersville	22939	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 245-5185	641	47	13.5	66.8%	481 (75.0%)	45 (7.0%)	48 (7.5%)	13 (2.0%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (7.2%)	50.8	230^th of 416 public middle schools	44.7%		53.6	208^th of 419 public middle schools	50.4%	22		100.0	64.6	74.6	59.6	58.7	70.4	64.6	66.4		76.8	$8,739	$331	$8,408
Shelburne Middle	Public	6-8	300 Grubert Ave	Staunton	24401	Staunton city	Staunton City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 332-3930	583	49	11.8	84.0%	366 (62.8%)	71 (12.2%)	56 (9.6%)	6 (1.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (13.9%)	55.4	199^th of 416 public middle schools	52.2%		49.5	227^th of 419 public middle schools	45.8%	28	100.0	100.0	65.7	56.0	56.6	67.7	73.0	72.3	75.6			$10,775	$1,164	$9,611
Kate Collins Middle	Public	6-8	1625 Ivy St	Waynesboro	22980	Waynesboro city	Waynesboro City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 946-4635	602	50	12.0	94.4%	267 (44.4%)	110 (18.3%)	147 (24.4%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	66 (11.0%)	22	361^st of 416 public middle schools	13.2%		22.9	357^th of 419 public middle schools	14.8%	4		98.0	44.3	30.8	30.4	52.4	63.0	64.6	61.9	61.8	59.3	$10,847	$502	$10,345
Wilbur S. Pence Middle	Public	6-8	375 Bowman Road	Dayton	22821	Rockingham County	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 879-2535	671	52	12.8	43.1%	479 (71.4%)	21 (3.1%)	130 (19.4%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.9%)	48	244^th of 416 public middle schools	41.3%		45.1	248^th of 419 public middle schools	40.8%	4		100.0	61.1	71.4	61.2	60.2	70.8	65.6	63.0		73.4	$9,710	$125	$9,585
Buffalo Gap Middle	Public	6-8	1770 Buffalo Gap Highway	Swoope	24479	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(540) 414-0510	285	27	10.4	58.2%	264 (92.6%)	3 (1.1%)	10 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	35.4	310^th of 416 public middle schools	25.5%					(n/a)		100.0	60.7	78.1	32.9	51.0	66.3	66.7	63.5		51.1
Montevideo Middle	Public	6-8	7648 McGaheysville Rd	Penn Laird	22846	Rockingham County	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 289-3401	593	51	11.5	37.3%	367 (61.9%)	26 (4.4%)	149 (25.1%)	23 (3.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.4%)	72	96^th of 416 public middle schools	76.9%		65	145^th of 419 public middle schools	65.4%	49		100.0	78.7	84.6	64.4	69.3	77.0	81.0	74.0		81.9	$9,846	$175	$9,671
Stuarts Draft Middle	Public	6-8	1088 Augusta Farm Rd	Stuarts Draft	24477	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 946-7611	513	39	13.1	64.7%	397 (77.4%)	19 (3.7%)	41 (8.0%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.6%)	53.1	216^th of 416 public middle schools	48.1%		43.5	259^th of 419 public middle schools	38.2%	43		97.6	58.8	67.1	55.7	72.9	68.3	64.9	73.7		74.9	$8,852	$10	$8,842
Thomas Harrison Middle	Public	6-8	1311 W. Market Street	Harrisonburg	22801	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 434-1949	771	58	13.4	86.8%	257 (33.3%)	69 (8.9%)	395 (51.2%)	17 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.3%)	30.1	327^th of 416 public middle schools	21.4%		26.9	340^th of 419 public middle schools	18.9%	13		100.0	59.3	59.6	42.0	58.5	54.0	54.3	57.1		60.0	$12,006	$1,238	$10,768
Skyline Middle	Public	6-8	470 Linda Lane	Harrisonburg	22802	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 434-6862	738	58	12.7	85.6%	211 (28.6%)	83 (11.2%)	401 (54.3%)	16 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.7%)	22.1	360^th of 416 public middle schools	13.5%		19	375^th of 419 public middle schools	10.5%	15		98.6	42.0	43.3	39.8	56.7	44.7	44.0	56.3		65.5	$11,842	$1,176	$10,666

Frequently Asked Questions about S. Gordon Stewart Middle

What is the racial makeup of S. Gordon Stewart Middle?

Students at S. Gordon Stewart Middle are 81% White, 13% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is S. Gordon Stewart Middle in?

Augusta County Public Schools

What high school do graduates of S. Gordon Stewart Middle attend?

Students who attend S. Gordon Stewart Middle usually go on to attend Fort Defiance High

Is S. Gordon Stewart Middle a good school?

S. Gordon Stewart Middle ranks 241^st of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend S. Gordon Stewart Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 516 students attended S. Gordon Stewart Middle.

Rate S. Gordon Stewart Middle!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresNewAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataFeb 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

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.