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Carson Middle

Q: Is Carson Middle a good school?

Carson Middle ranks 52 nd of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 7-8

52^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 88% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Carson Middle is a 7th-8th grade middle school in Herndon, Virginia, serving 1,358 students as part of Fairfax County Public Schools. The school earned a 4-star rating and ranked 52nd of 416 Virginia middle schools in 2025-2026, placing it in the 88th percentile statewide. About 20.5% of students were eligible for free/reduced lunch in 2024-2025, and the school spent $11,103 per student in 2023-2024, the lowest among nearby reporting schools, with a favorable 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio.

Carson's academic performance is well above district and state averages. In 2025-2026, 7th-grade reading proficiency was 87.3% (state: 73.0%) and 8th-grade reading was 86.3% (state: 73.5%). Math proficiency reached 61.2% in 7th grade and 51.5% in 8th grade, outpacing district averages by roughly 13 and 18 points, respectively. The advanced math program is exceptional, with 100% proficiency in 8th-grade Geometry, 7th-grade Algebra I, and 8th-grade Algebra II. Science proficiency was 80.9% in 8th grade, well above the state's 64.7%. Among nearby schools, Carson trails only Rocky Run Middle and J. Michael Lunsford Middle, while outperforming Herndon Middle, Stone Middle, and Franklin Middle.

Attendance is a relative strength, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 11.8% in 2024-2025, matching the district average and well below the state's 14.8%. Carson serves several student groups exceptionally well, including military-connected, multi-racial, Asian, and disabled students, whose outcomes rank in the 86th to 98th percentile statewide. Areas for growth include Hispanic, low-income, and English learner students, whose rankings are closer to the 50th-60th percentile. Notably, Herndon Middle, just 3 miles away, ranks at the 16th percentile despite similar geography, highlighting Carson's strong academic productivity relative to both nearby schools and its own resource level.

1,358

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,103

Per pupil spending ?

20.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13618 McLearen Road
Herndon, VA 20171

(703) 925-3600

District: Fairfax County Public Schools

Students who attend Carson Middle usually attend:

High:

Westfield High

Feeder schools for Carson Middle:

Elementary:	Coates Elementary
	Crossfield Elementary
	Floris Elementary
	Fox Mill Elementary
	More...
	McNair Elementary
	McNair Upper Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

43.0%

White:

27.7%

African American:

11.8%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Carson Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2016 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (85% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of Virginia middle schools

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school85%

District avg77%

Virginia avg69%

52^nd of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 23Middle Schools in the Fairfax County Public Schools

39^th of 131Fairfax 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	78.6	52 of 416	87.5%	★★★★☆
2025	77.2	66 of 419	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.4	48 of 417	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	83.2	34 of 422	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	80.5	38 of 415	90.8%	★★★★★
2021	81.5	30 of 419	92.8%	★★★★★
2019	84.5	18 of 424	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	81.2	27 of 413	93.5%	★★★★★
2017	83.7	19 of 415	95.4%	★★★★★
2016	82.6	25 of 409	93.9%	★★★★★
2015	88.0	5 of 412	98.8%	★★★★★
2014	90.4	6 of 416	98.6%	★★★★★
2013	91.5	4 of 416	99.0%	★★★★★
2012	84.8	9 of 413	97.8%	★★★★★
2011	78.6	29 of 413	93.0%	★★★★★
2010	81.0	13 of 408	96.8%	★★★★★
2009	81.9	13 of 390	96.7%	★★★★★
2008	84.3	10 of 391	97.4%	★★★★★
2007	84.9	10 of 387	97.4%	★★★★★
2006	85.9	12 of 383	96.9%	★★★★★
2005	88.5	6 of 340	98.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	86 of 297	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	58.3	119 of 297	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.2	45 of 299	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	82.3	32 of 298	89.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	77.2	15 of 137	89.1%	★★★★☆
2025	71.8	22 of 136	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	72.4	17 of 128	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	17 of 132	87.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	76.6	42 of 292	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.2	35 of 281	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	80.3	40 of 278	85.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	51 of 134	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	48 of 135	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.8	24 of 122	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	56.0	27 of 100	73.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	73.8	79 of 409	80.7%	★★★★☆
2025	73.2	88 of 403	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	43 of 407	89.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	51 of 411	87.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.8	137 of 283	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.0	113 of 279	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	105 of 272	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.1	127 of 275	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	53.3	186 of 401	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.3	271 of 403	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.7	170 of 402	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	80.3	48 of 410	88.3%	★★★★☆
2025	79.3	51 of 404	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	47 of 407	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	26 of 409	93.6%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	87.1	3 of 125	97.6%	★★★★★
2025	65.3	40 of 130	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	90.8	1 of 123	99.2%	★★★★★
2023	81.4	10 of 114	91.2%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	83.0	13 of 249	94.8%	★★★★★
2025	78.0	26 of 244	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	21 of 237	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	87.1	11 of 231	95.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	111 of 400	72.3%	★★★★☆
2025	73.2	73 of 400	81.8%	★★★★☆
2024	77.4	48 of 396	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	78.3	44 of 402	89.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Military Connected (2026)98th percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)95th percentile+7 vs school

Asian (2026)89th percentile~ school

Male (2026)88th percentile~ school

Disabled (2026)86th percentile~ school

Female (2026)81st percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)72nd percentile-15 vs school

African American (2026)71st percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)62nd percentile-26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile-34 vs school

Hispanic (2026)52nd percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Geometry100%+3 vs state

Algebra II100%~ state avg

Algebra I99%+4 vs state

English Reading87%+14 vs state

Science81%+16 vs state

Mathematics57%+8 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, May 29, 2014

Best Middle School in FCPS. Close Quote

Schools Near Carson 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 Algebra II (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 7th Grade	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 6th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra II 7th Grade	SOL Algebra II 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 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carson Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	13618 McLearen Road	Herndon	20171	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 925-3600	1,358	120	11.3	20.5%	376 (27.7%)	160 (11.8%)	149 (11.0%)	584 (43.0%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	81 (6.0%)	78.6	52^nd of 416 public middle schools	87.5%		77.2	66^th of 419 public middle schools	84.2%	14	≥ 50%	100.0		100.0	98.0	≥ 50%	100.0		61.2	51.5	80.9		87.3	86.3		$11,103	$236	$10,867
Franklin Middle	Public	7-8	3300 Lees Corner Rd	Chantilly	20151	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 904-5100	798	59	13.5	21.2%	333 (41.7%)	45 (5.6%)	118 (14.8%)	235 (29.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (8.3%)	74.8	79^th of 416 public middle schools	81.0%		77.3	64^th of 419 public middle schools	84.7%	15		100.0		100.0	95.9				63.0	37.4	78.8		84.0	87.8		$12,402	$387	$12,015
Herndon Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	901 Locust St	Herndon	20170	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 904-4800	895	90	9.9	65.1%	231 (25.8%)	54 (6.0%)	520 (58.1%)	53 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.0%)	25.7	348^th of 416 public middle schools	16.3%		28.8	330^th of 419 public middle schools	21.2%	18		512.0		100.0	80.7				13.3	10.0	59.1		62.0	66.0		$15,367	$1,050	$14,317
Rocky Run Middle	Public	7-8	4400 Stringfellow Rd	Chantilly	20151	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 802-7700	882	58	15.1	19.6%	296 (33.6%)	48 (5.4%)	145 (16.4%)	350 (39.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	41 (4.6%)	84.7	21^st of 416 public middle schools	95.0%		85.6	19^th of 419 public middle schools	95.5%	2	≥ 50%	100.0		100.0	99.2	≥ 50%	100.0		74.5	49.4	87.3		93.0	92.6		$11,983	$348	$11,635
Hughes Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	11401 Ridge Heights Rd	Reston	20191	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 715-3600	1,012	74	13.6	41.4%	404 (39.9%)	140 (13.8%)	310 (30.6%)	71 (7.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	84 (8.3%)	65.1	137^th of 416 public middle schools	67.1%		58.9	184^th of 419 public middle schools	56.1%	47	≥ 50%	98.3		100.0	91.6				47.2	27.0	76.5		81.2	84.0		$12,309	$414	$11,896
Sterling Middle	Public	6-8	201 W Holly Ave	Sterling	20164	Loudoun County	Loudoun County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(571) 434-4520	967	94	10.2	84.6%	76 (7.9%)	49 (5.1%)	739 (76.4%)	82 (8.5%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	15 (1.6%)	11.5	391^st of 416 public middle schools	6.0%		9.3	399^th of 419 public middle schools	4.8%	8		100.0		94.1	77.6		≥ 50%	23.8	34.4	28.1	47.8	47.1	55.1	51.9	60.1	$19,619	$575	$19,044
Stone Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	5500 Sully Park Dr.	Centreville	20120	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 631-5500	718	79	9.1	39.0%	265 (36.9%)	61 (8.5%)	247 (34.4%)	97 (13.5%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.7%)	43.6	272^nd of 416 public middle schools	34.6%		46.1	242^nd of 419 public middle schools	42.2%	30		100.0		100.0	82.4				46.4	307.0	64.6		72.3	75.2		$14,017	$449	$13,568
Stone Hill Middle	Public	6-8	23415 Evergreen Ridge Drive	Ashburn	20148	Loudoun County	Loudoun County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 957-4420	1,146	78	14.7	19.5%	191 (16.7%)	116 (10.1%)	79 (6.9%)	672 (58.6%)	19 (1.7%)	5 (0.4%)	64 (5.6%)	74.6	81^st of 416 public middle schools	80.5%		76.3	80^th of 419 public middle schools	80.9%	1	≥ 50%	100.0	≥ 50%	100.0	92.5		100.0	61.7	56.0	55.9	79.6	82.2	86.3	86.4	90.3	$16,137	$155	$15,982
J. Michael Lunsford Middle	Public	6-8	26020 Ticonderoga Road	Chantilly	20152	Loudoun County	Loudoun County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 722-2660	1,182	80	14.7	18.4%	448 (37.9%)	83 (7.0%)	104 (8.8%)	471 (39.8%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (5.9%)	80.5	43^rd of 416 public middle schools	89.7%		79.9	47^th of 419 public middle schools	88.8%	4	≥ 50%	97.4	580.0	99.2	96.6		535.0	71.6	55.4	61.7	85.2	91.0	85.0	87.7	92.9	$17,184	$257	$16,927
Johnson Middle	Public	7-8	3801 Jermantown Rd	Fairfax	22030	Fairfax city	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 934-2400	1,165	97	12.0	36.1%	399 (34.2%)	89 (7.6%)	303 (26.0%)	292 (25.1%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (6.6%)	57.7	184^th of 416 public middle schools	55.8%		58.8	185^th of 419 public middle schools	55.8%	1		100.0		100.0	91.8		546.0		44.4	25.0	70.8		76.9	78.2		$12,307	$382	$11,925

Frequently Asked Questions about Carson Middle

What high school do graduates of Carson Middle attend?

Students who attend Carson Middle usually go on to attend Westfield High

How many students attend Carson Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,358 students attended Carson Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Carson Middle?

Students at Carson Middle are 43% Asian, 28% White, 12% African American, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Carson Middle in?

Fairfax County Public Schools

Is Carson Middle a good school?

Carson Middle ranks 52^nd of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Carson Middle!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 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.