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T. Benton Gayle Middle

Q: Is T. Benton Gayle Middle a good school?

T. Benton Gayle Middle ranks 249 th of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend T. Benton Gayle Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 939 students attended T. Benton Gayle Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of T. Benton Gayle Middle?

Students at T. Benton Gayle Middle are 42% White, 23% African American, 17% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 8% Asian.

Public Grades 6-8

249^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 40% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

T. Benton Gayle Middle serves 939 students in grades 6–8 in Fredericksburg, VA, as part of Stafford County Public Schools. The school holds a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, ranking 249th out of 416 Virginia middle schools (40th percentile) for the 2025–2026 school year. About 41% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, up from 36.6% a few years ago, and per-student spending is $9,407 with a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio.

The school's defining pattern is strong 6th-grade results followed by a significant fade in on-grade 8th-grade math. In 6th-grade math, T. Benton Gayle consistently beats its district and the state—68.8% proficiency in 2025–2026 versus 63.9% and 63.2%, respectively—and has topped those benchmarks by as much as 17 points in prior years. Only Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle and Edward E. Drew Junior Middle posted higher 6th-grade math scores nearby. But on-grade 8th-grade math proficiency is just 31.2%, far below the state's 46.9%; only H.H. Poole Middle (24.7%) and Stafford Middle (25.0%) are lower, while Andrew G. Wright Middle, Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle, and Freedom Middle all exceed 48%. Meanwhile, accelerated math students are nearly universally proficient—98.3% in Geometry and 99.0% in 7th-grade Algebra I—suggesting math support is concentrated in the accelerated track.

Chronic absenteeism has risen three straight years to 17.7%, above the state's 14.8% and the district's 17.5%. Nearby Rodney E. Thompson Middle (10.3%), Andrew G. Wright Middle (12.7%), and Freedom Middle (12.7%) all have better attendance—and Thompson, about six miles away, ranks in the 79th percentile statewide with far higher reading scores, underscoring the importance of attendance and school climate. T. Benton Gayle does show genuine strengths with African American students (58th percentile statewide) and students with disabilities (59th percentile, up from 39th three years ago). However, sharp recent declines among English Learner, low-income, and military-connected students coincide with the school's long slide from the 69th percentile a decade ago to the 40th today.

939

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,540

Per pupil spending ?

41.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

100 Panther Drive
Fredericksburg, VA 22406

(540) 373-0383

District: Stafford County Public Schools

Feeder schools for T. Benton Gayle Middle:

Elementary:	Hartwood Elementary
	Rocky Run Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.7%

African American:

22.7%

Hispanic:

16.7%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare T. Benton Gayle Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 69th percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg69%

Virginia avg69%

249^th of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 29 pts since 2016

From top 31% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 8Middle Schools in the Stafford County Public Schools

74^th of 131Stafford 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	46.9	249 of 416	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.5	209 of 419	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.6	207 of 417	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.8	258 of 422	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	236 of 415	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.3	236 of 419	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.4	239 of 424	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	218 of 413	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.2	187 of 415	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.4	125 of 409	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.5	135 of 412	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.9	111 of 416	73.3%	★★★★☆
2013	64.2	96 of 416	76.9%	★★★★☆
2012	59.1	123 of 413	70.2%	★★★★☆
2011	51.7	188 of 413	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.0	156 of 408	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	44.3	233 of 390	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	56.2	153 of 391	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.7	152 of 387	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.4	132 of 383	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	68.4	102 of 340	70.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	126 of 297	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.4	130 of 297	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.5	93 of 299	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	160 of 298	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	8.7	131 of 137	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	127 of 136	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	120 of 128	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	126 of 132	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	52.4	120 of 292	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	152 of 281	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	170 of 278	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	119 of 134	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.0	59 of 135	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.7	48 of 122	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	259 of 409	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.0	218 of 403	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.3	200 of 407	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	209 of 411	49.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	178 of 283	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.8	114 of 279	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	119 of 272	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	74 of 275	73.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	292 of 401	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.7	210 of 403	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	206 of 402	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	238 of 410	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.6	195 of 404	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.4	208 of 407	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.5	272 of 409	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	32.1	103 of 125	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	112 of 130	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.0	55 of 123	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	67 of 114	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	49.1	137 of 249	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.0	146 of 244	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	158 of 237	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.5	210 of 231	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	206 of 400	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.0	179 of 400	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	193 of 396	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.0	264 of 402	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2026)59th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2026)58th percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)48th percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)45th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)37th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)37th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile-13 vs school

Military Connected (2026)18th percentile-23 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)11th percentile-29 vs school

Asian (2026)4th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Geometry98%~ state avg

Algebra I92%-3 vs state

English Reading73%~ state avg

Civics and Economics69%~ state avg

Science63%~ state avg

Mathematics57%~ state avg

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, April 21, 2019

Attending this school has been a horrible experience for my students. I regret moving to this district. Close Quote

Schools Near T. Benton Gayle 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 Geography (2026)	SOL Civics and Economics (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 7th 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 Geography 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
T. Benton Gayle Middle	Public	6-8	100 Panther Drive	Fredericksburg	22406	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 373-0383	939	62	15.1	41.1%	392 (41.7%)	213 (22.7%)	157 (16.7%)	74 (7.9%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (10.6%)	46.9	249^th of 416 public middle schools	40.1%		53.5	209^th of 419 public middle schools	50.1%	40		98.3	99.0	87.3	68.8	< 50%	31.2	63.5	73.7	74.6	69.8		68.5		$10,540	$424	$10,117
Edward E. Drew Junior Middle	Public	6-8	501 Cambridge St	Falmouth	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 371-1415	625	51	12.2	74.4%	180 (28.8%)	168 (26.9%)	147 (23.5%)	58 (9.3%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	67 (10.7%)	38	295^th of 416 public middle schools	29.1%		35.1	305^th of 419 public middle schools	27.2%	10		91.3	100.0	93.8	72.7		35.5	54.6	70.4	68.9	66.5		60.0		$14,398	$501	$13,897
Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle	Public	6-8	503 Deacon Road	Fredericksburg	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 899-0860	887	58	15.2	36.0%	534 (60.2%)	118 (13.3%)	137 (15.4%)	29 (3.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (7.3%)	48.2	240^th of 416 public middle schools	42.3%		56.5	194^th of 419 public middle schools	53.7%	46		97.4	100.0	87.6	75.0		52.1	62.6	70.7	74.2	73.0		62.6	≥ 50%	$10,997	$256	$10,741
Walker-Grant Middle	Public	6-8	2201 Idlewild Blvd	Fredericksburg	22401	Fredericksburg city	Fredericksburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 372-1145	796	54	14.6	91.5%	164 (20.6%)	221 (27.8%)	210 (26.4%)	120 (15.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (9.7%)	20.5	364^th of 416 public middle schools	12.5%		18.8	377^th of 419 public middle schools	10.0%	13		100.0	100.0	96.2	29.6	42.2	41.2	54.7	57.6	55.8	63.6	57.3	54.8		$12,122	$1,235	$10,887
Rodney E. Thompson Middle	Public	6-8	75 Walpole St	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6420	1,063	68	15.6	24.6%	478 (45.0%)	228 (21.4%)	183 (17.2%)	81 (7.6%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	89 (8.4%)	74	87^th of 416 public middle schools	79.1%		81	41^st of 419 public middle schools	90.2%	46		100.0	98.4	93.6	67.1	384.0	43.9	77.1	85.9	85.5	85.7		86.2		$9,413	$262	$9,151
Stafford Middle	Public	6-8	101 Spartan Dr	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6210	961	71	13.5	48.2%	242 (25.2%)	308 (32.0%)	256 (26.6%)	61 (6.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	88 (9.2%)	31.6	324^th of 416 public middle schools	22.1%		34.2	308^th of 419 public middle schools	26.5%	16	≥ 50%	96.2	91.1	96.0	58.2	< 50%	25.0	52.1	69.4	66.2	61.5		67.2		$9,459	$319	$9,141
H.H. Poole Middle	Public	6-8	800 Eustace Rd	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6190	995	67	14.8	39.7%	319 (32.1%)	276 (27.7%)	250 (25.1%)	61 (6.1%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (8.4%)	36.9	304^th of 416 public middle schools	26.9%		42.7	262^nd of 419 public middle schools	37.5%	42		100.0	100.0	96.5	61.0	< 50%	24.7	54.5	64.8	72.5	68.0		65.7		$9,270	$206	$9,065
Chancellor Middle	Public	6-8	6320 Harrison Rd	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 786-8099	799	61	13.0	72.1%	256 (32.0%)	129 (16.1%)	318 (39.8%)	30 (3.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (7.8%)	27.6	335^th of 416 public middle schools	19.5%		28.6	331^st of 419 public middle schools	21.0%	4	≥ 50%	93.8	96.6	95.0	56.7	31.7	35.8	57.3	63.4	56.0	70.3		61.7		$10,246	$619	$9,628
Andrew G. Wright Middle	Public	6-8	100 Wood Dr	Stafford	22556	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6240	851	56	15.1	33.1%	400 (47.0%)	98 (11.5%)	249 (29.3%)	36 (4.2%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	60 (7.1%)	47.5	248^th of 416 public middle schools	40.4%		59.6	180^th of 419 public middle schools	57.0%	68		97.8	98.5	91.8	62.5	< 50%	48.6	69.0	70.5	76.4	72.9		60.6		$9,964	$275	$9,688
Battlefield Middle	Public	6-8	11120 Leavells Road	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 786-4400	780	56	14.0	71.0%	257 (32.9%)	149 (19.1%)	279 (35.8%)	37 (4.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (7.2%)	37.6	298^th of 416 public middle schools	28.4%		35.2	303^rd of 419 public middle schools	27.7%	5		95.7	100.0	100.0	43.5	43.9	46.5	59.5	68.2	68.4	68.5		68.4		$9,204	$627	$8,578

Frequently Asked Questions about T. Benton Gayle Middle

How many students attend T. Benton Gayle Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 939 students attended T. Benton Gayle Middle.

Is T. Benton Gayle Middle a good school?

T. Benton Gayle Middle ranks 249^th of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of T. Benton Gayle Middle?

Students at T. Benton Gayle Middle are 42% White, 23% African American, 17% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 8% Asian.

What district is T. Benton Gayle Middle in?

Stafford County Public Schools

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2023–24 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 12, 2026

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 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.