West McDowell Middle School
Public middle school, grades 6 to 8 · Marion, North Carolina
West McDowell Middle School in Marion, North Carolina enrolled 550 students in 2024-25 with 35.5 full-time teachers, 15.5 students per teacher against the North Carolina middle-school median of 16.2. It was eligible for Title I in 2021-22 but ran no program; it takes part in the National School Lunch Program (2024-25). On the state tests, 43-47% of its students tested were proficient in math in 2021-22 (North Carolina: 50%).
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method
Enrollment fell 9% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 11%
605 students in 2022-23, 581 students in 2023-24, 550 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 40.0 to 35.5.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 605 | 40.0 | 15.1 |
| 2023-24 | 581 | 39.7 | 14.6 |
| 2024-25 | 550 | 35.5 | 15.5 |
15.5 students per teacher, a lower ratio than 61 of every 100 North Carolina middle schools
Among the 467 North Carolina middle schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 16.2; the national median for middle schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).
One counselor per 324 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection West McDowell Middle School enrolled 647 students and had 2.0 counselors (full-time equivalent); it reported 72 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programYes
- Counselors (FTE)2.0, one per 324 of the 647 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions72
- Chronically absent30.9% (2022-23)
Who attends
75.1% of students were White, 16.0% Hispanic, 4.5% of two or more races in 2024-25.
- White75.1%
- Hispanic16.0%
- Two or more races4.5%
- Black3.1%
- Asian1.3%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested at West McDowell Middle School scored proficient or above: 43-47% in math, against 50% in math across North Carolina. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within North Carolina, not across states. No whole-school reading result is shown: ED's files give none for this school for 2021-22 or 2022-23. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This school | Its district | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 43‑47% | 50% | 50% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive): ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Middle schools in Marion
3 public middle schools in Marion report 2024-25 enrollment; West McDowell Middle School is the largest.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| West McDowell Middle School | 550 | 15.5 | 99.5% |
| East McDowell Middle School | 392 | 11.3 | 99.2% |
| Foothills Community School | 200 | 18.0 | 98.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about West McDowell Middle School
- East McDowell Middle SchoolThe nearest public middle school, 2.6 miles away: 392 students, 11.3 per teacher (2024-25).2.6 mi
- Foothills Community SchoolThe next nearest public middle school, 2.9 miles away: 200 students, 18.0 per teacher (2024-25).2.9 mi
- Compare West McDowell Middle School with East McDowell Middle SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much McDowell County Schools spends per student$13,112 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$13,112
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaWest McDowell Middle School is the number 268 by size of 472 North Carolina middle schools open in 2024-25.#268 of 472
- North Carolina schools by students per teacher15.5 students per teacher here against the North Carolina median of 16.2 for middle schools.15.5:1
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.
Questions about West McDowell Middle School
How many students attend West McDowell Middle School?
550 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 605 in 2022-23. It is a middle school in Marion, NC.What is the student-teacher ratio at West McDowell Middle School?
15.5 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the North Carolina median for middle schools is 16.2. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is West McDowell Middle School a Title I school?
West McDowell Middle School was eligible for Title I in 2021-22 but ran no Title I program (2021-22 is the last year NCES published school Title I status).How do students at West McDowell Middle School do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested at West McDowell Middle School scored proficient or above: 43-47% in math, against 50% in math across North Carolina. North Carolina's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.What district is West McDowell Middle School in?
McDowell County Schools, NCES district ID 3702940. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 370294001185 are the district's.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22
District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.