Gaston County Schools

943 Osceola Street
Gastonia, NC 28054-1397
(District boundaries shown in map)
5/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Gaston County Schools ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026 school year, there are 15 public middle schools serving 7,740 students in Gaston County Schools. This district's average middle testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in North Carolina.
Public Middle Schools in Gaston County Schools have an average math proficiency score of 46% (versus the North Carolina public middle school average of 48%), and reading proficiency score of 46% (versus the 50% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 54% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the North Carolina public middle school average of 56% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
58 Schools
879 Schools
# Students
30,403 Students
493,495 Students
# Teachers
1,816 Teachers
31,612 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Gaston County Schools, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 85% has decreased from 86% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#181 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
(21-22)
49%
51%
46%
50%
61%
63%
(21-22)
85%
86%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.68
0.71
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
2%
4%
% Hispanic
20%
20%
% Black
25%
25%
% White
47%
44%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
6%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $10,299 in this school district is less than the state median of $11,192. The school district revenue/student has grown by 8% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $10,900 is less than the state median of $11,617. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (NC)
Total Revenue
$313 MM
$17,307 MM
Spending
$331 MM
$17,964 MM
Revenue / Student
$10,299
$11,192
Spending / Student
$10,900
$11,617

Best Gaston County Schools Public Middle Schools (2026)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Cramerton Middle School
(Math: 76% | Reading: 73%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
601 Cramer Mountain Road
Cramerton, NC 28032
(704) 836-9603
Gr: 6-8 | 919 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 34%
Rank: #22.
Belmont Middle School
(Math: 59% | Reading: 57%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1020 South Point Road
Belmont, NC 28012
(704) 836-9611
Gr: 6-8 | 765 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 31%
Rank: #33.
Stanley Middle School
(Math: 55% | Reading: 55%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
317 Hovis Road
Stanley, NC 28164
(704) 836-9600
Gr: 6-8 | 606 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 38%
Rank: #44.
Mount Holly Middle School
(Math: 52% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
124 S Hawthorne Street
Mount Holly, NC 28120
(704) 836-9610
Gr: 6-8 | 552 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 46%
Rank: #55.
John Chavis Middle School
(Math: 46% | Reading: 43%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
103 South Chavis Drive
Cherryville, NC 28021
(704) 836-9606
Gr: 6-8 | 395 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 27%
Rank: #66.
W C Friday Middle School
(Math: 45% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
1221 Ratchford Drive
Dallas, NC 28034
(704) 922-5297
Gr: 6-8 | 612 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 51%
Rank: #77.
Gaston Virtual Academy
Magnet School
(Math: 33% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
1 Learning Place
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 836-9125
Gr: K-12 | 323 students Student-teacher ratio: 12:1 Minority enrollment: 45%
Rank: #88.
Holbrook Middle School
(Math: 37% | Reading: 40%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
418 S Church Street
Lowell, NC 28098
(704) 836-9607
Gr: 6-8 | 786 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 65%
Rank: #99.
Southwest Middle School
(Math: 37% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
1 Roadrunner Drive
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 866-6290
Gr: 6-8 | 809 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 76%
Rank: #1010.
Bessemer City Middle School
(Math: 33% | Reading: 34%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
525 Ed Wilson Road
Bessemer City, NC 28016
(704) 836-9602
Gr: 6-8 | 502 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 55%
Rank: #1111.
York Chester Middle School
(Math: 35% | Reading: 30%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
601 S Clay Street
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 836-9609
Gr: 6-8 | 381 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 83%
Rank: #1212.
W P Grier Middle School
(Math: 24% | Reading: 28%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
1622 E Garrison Boulevard
Gastonia, NC 28054
(704) 836-9604
Gr: 6-8 | 587 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 87%
Rank: #1313.
Webb Street School
Special Education School
(Math: 11-19% | Reading: 11-19%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
1623 N Webb Street
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 864-9667
Gr: PK-12 | 161 students Student-teacher ratio: 8:1 Minority enrollment: 51%
Rank: #1414.
Warlick Academy
Alternative School
(Math: ≤5% | Reading: 15-19%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
1316 Spencer Mountain Road
Gastonia, NC 28054
(704) 836-9608
Gr: 6-12 | 153 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 75%
Rank: n/an/a
1 Learning Place
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 866-6100
Gr: K-8 | 189 students Minority enrollment: 71%

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Quick Facts (2026)

  • District size: 58 schools
  • Grades: PK-13
  • Enrollment: 30,403 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 53%
  • : 85% (Top 50% in NC)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 49% (Top 50%)
  • : 46% (Btm 50%)
  • : 61% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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