Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Middle Schools

Best Middle Schools
in Cumberland County Schools

This page covers 17 middle schools in Cumberland County Schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

17
Schools Ranked
North Carolina
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Middle Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 17
1
rank
Howard Learning Academy
Grades 05–0816 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (1.0:1)
49
/100
Student:Teacher
1.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
29/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
2
rank
Seventy-First Classical Middle
Grades 06–08430 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
13.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
55%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
Gray's Creek Middle
Grades 06–081,126 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
18.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
50%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
John R Griffin Middle
Grades 06–081,091 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
45
/100
Student:Teacher
17.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
40%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Pine Forest Middle
Grades 06–08738 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
44
/100
Student:Teacher
16.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
56%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
New Century International Middle
Grades 06–08391 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
44
/100
Student:Teacher
14.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
29/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
55%
Near nat'l 52.2%
7
rank
Anne Chesnutt Middle
Grades 06–08443 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.8:1)
42
/100
Student:Teacher
11.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
8
rank
Reid Ross Classical Middle
Grades 06–08226 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.3:1)
42
/100
Student:Teacher
13.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
28/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
74%
High economic need
9
rank
Mac Williams Middle
Grades 06–081,151 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
40
/100
Student:Teacher
19.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
34/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
58%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Hope Mills Middle
Grades 06–08514 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
40
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,982
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
7 more middle schools in Cumberland County Schools not shown here.
View all schools in Cumberland County Schools
How We Rank Middle Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the middle school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
35%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Reflects long-run economic outcomes for children raised in this area.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes. Particularly important during the middle years when academic and social needs are at their most complex.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
15%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Reflects the economic profile of the community the school serves.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
17
Middle Schools
86
Total Schools
49
#1 Score
42
Avg Score
Top Ranked Middle School
Compare Cumberland County Schools with neighbouring districts
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Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.