2023 Best Public Middle Schools in the Charlotte Area

• Charlotte, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  16 reviews

Parent: Having been at the school since its inception and assisting in many ways from start-up fundraising, marketing, assisting in the classroom and coaching, I can tell you that the Scholars’ Academy is a gifted school like no other. With my three children attending (one having had AWEFUL experiences in public school before being identified as twice gifted), they were able to freely explore their intellectual abilities and create solid lifelong friendships. All organizations have growing pains and our school may not be perfect for your student… that is an opportunity for the parent to find the right place where their student flourishes! The Scholars’ Academy lets kids be kids, have fun and learn at their speed. Being at SA is like a trip to the United Nations of Children. Our diversity is broad. Moving into high school is always an adjustment, but for 9 years my children were able to feel good in their skin and have fun learning!... Read 16 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 390

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Fort Mill School District, SC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: Hi! My name is Jia and I’m an 8th grader at Pleasant Knoll Middle School. I think my school is wonderful for the most part. We have a really great staff as well as facilities such as the computer lab and the library! However, I wish there was more diversity. As you can probably imagine, there also is very little culture and I can’t really express mine. As a South Asian, I think diversity is really important and should be valued. Additionally, our school puts most of its emphasis on sports. The academic as well as the theater, music and art programs don’t get as much funding or materials. I feel as though athletics, academics, and the arts are all equally important and should be treated that way! I do believe Pleasant Knoll Middle is an engaging environment and I am truly lucky to have an opportunity to go to a great school, but there are certainly just a few things I would change.... Read 1 review

• grade A+

• Students 888

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Huntersville, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.03 out of 5  271 reviews

Alum: I spent eight years at LNC and made great friends and even greater memories. The sporting events are always fun to attend, especially with the Knightmare student section. The majority of teachers are amazing and you have many opportunities to take AP and Dual Enrollment courses. They also have a great lunch program where you can order from places like Chik-Fil-A and Panda Express. The only thing I didn’t enjoy with LNC was how everyone had their own social group that they always stuck with. Overall, I enjoyed my time at LNC and I will forever be a Knight!... Read 271 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 2,207

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Fort Mill School District, SC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  3 reviews

Alum: While I do not like to exaggerate, I will simply say that SMS changed my life for the better. I enjoyed going even though it was for a short time.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 667

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Fort Mill School District, SC•

• 6-8

• grade A+

• Students 802

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Fort Mill School District, SC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.4 out of 5  5 reviews

Freshman: very inclusive, all teachers very kind, overall a great experience as a former student. So many different fun activities available, lots of sports opportunities.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 884

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Mooresville, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.06 out of 5  134 reviews

Junior: I joined Pine Lake Preparatory this year and my experience had been wonderful! This school has classes that allow me to explore my interests in art+animation and in STEM! This was really exciting to me, and currently, the school is looking to add more semester-long choices for students to explore their interests. The academics are fairly good and the school offers a large selection of AP courses. The experiences I've had with my teachers have been good, I've been able to communicate my needs with them over email, and if I need to meet with one of them about something I've been able to arrange that. In terms of diversity, the school reflects the demographics of the six counties it pulls from. Racially, most of the students are white, but there are a variety of socioeconomic statuses, and there are some clubs for minority students. In terms of student organizations, there are plenty, I'm a member of several, including the robotics team! This school is great and I'm glad to be here.... Read 134 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,877

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Fort Mill School District, SC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  9 reviews

• grade A

• Students 853

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Davidson, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.41 out of 5  74 reviews

Senior: Community School of Davidson has the best teachers I have ever had, they truly care about you and they go out of their way to help you. For example I had emailed a teacher at 10:30 pm, and I didn't want or expect them to get back to me that night but sure enough at 11 pm they did. The learning style here is something I have never experienced, in that they don't have test ever week and in a history class I had we look at a war that happened and got articles from both countries that were involved to see how they both blamed each other. But the other students are nice, but most of the students have been there since preschool so they take our school for granted. Also the students there are 85% well off, which isn't a bad thing but there just isn't a diversity of wealth or race. Overall CSD is a good school and they try their best!... Read 74 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,430

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Matthews, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3.56 out of 5  18 reviews

Middle School Student: After reading some of these reviews it is absolutely absurd that you would think this isn't the best school you could send your kid to. Not only is it academically the best school I've ever seen, not only does it have the best teacher student relationships I've seen but it also has the least amount of bullying in maybe every school in the nation. Bullying is far from tolerated and the most I've seen is name calling. With that to quote another review I saw that said teacher leave so often be cause it's terrible, they actually leave often because most Greek teachers on are visa's to teach in the United States they're not leaving because they hate it they're leaving because they legally are required to. I've never seen a school that consistently graduates kids smarter than you can imagine. To even think that this school isn't a too school is the nation is blasphemy. The only thing that isn't top notch in the school is the sports probably because they're too busy making your kids smarter... Read 18 reviews

• grade A

• Students 769

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Union County Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  3 reviews

Alum: I enjoyed my 3 years at this school. The administration were able to tend to my special course requests and were accommodating, friendly, and helpful. COVID-19 did not affect the quality of instruction, and lessons were engaging and immensely helpful for high school. This middle school is one of the best in the nation!... Read 3 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,282

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• Union County Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.3 out of 5  10 reviews

High School Senior: The Story of My Life at this school would be long, but I can truly say that this is the best public school in all of Union County. There are certain elements that may not be positive, but the positive outcomes outweigh the negatives. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for an academically-focused school without paying college-level tuition prices for private school. Marvin Ridge is the closest public school to a top-notch private school.... Read 10 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,409

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• Union County Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.78 out of 5  9 reviews

High School Senior: I enjoy waking up in the morning and going to school because it a new experience everyday.... Read 9 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,393

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• Charlotte, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.61 out of 5  28 reviews

Parent: We've had a wonderful experience at Corvian. We are currently at the high school and are impressed by the teachers and admin there. As a parent of a student with a 504, I've always felt like part of a team with my son, guidance, admin, and teachers to help him get what he needs, while still encouraging him to grow. Any concerns I've ever had about anything have always been listened to and discussed, and now, my child feels comfortable enough to address any problems he's having directly with the adults at the school. I'm forever grateful for the Corvian community. Although this is the first year with a full high school, I love that the students can start their own clubs as long as they can get a teacher to sponsor, and admin to sign off - what a great leadership experience!... Read 28 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,291

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Clover School District, SC•

• 6-8

• grade A

• Students 1,045

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Indian Trail, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Works Here: My experience at UPA has been nothing but positive. All of the admin staff is very supportive and will help you with anything that you need. They work hard to make UPA the best they can. They give teachers feedback on their instruction, give resources for rigor, followed safety protocols during covid, and will communicate to parents and staff. The teachers here strive for growth for their students and communicate weekly with families, giving updates on their child's progress and are super friendly. One thing that I would love for UPA to change is their campus. I would love for it to be expanded for more kids to experience this wonderful school!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,046

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Cabarrus County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.37 out of 5  19 reviews

Middle School Student: I like that it is a stem school, and how they compare there in class assignments to outside real-world problems. I love how they make everything hands-on.... Read 19 reviews

• grade A

• Students 931

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Cabarrus County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  4 reviews

Niche User: I spent my eighth grade year here it is fun, and I really enjoy it. In Harris Road Middle school, the teachers were very friendly. They will always help you on works that you are not good at. They always try to find new ways of teaching, help to make the class enjoyable. So students could learn in a happy mood class that is with a lot of involvement, instead of a class only the teacher is talking and every students is bored, and nearly fell asleep in the class.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,462

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Cabarrus County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• grade A

• Students 1,108

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Union County Public Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  3 reviews

Parent: Teachers and administrators always there to help students. Great athletic program and a great school environment 👍.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,273

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Iredell-Statesville Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.13 out of 5  8 reviews

Alum: Very good school. Very diverse, I have no idea why the diversity score is so low. My class had about half white kids and the other half were of some other ethnicity which is a complete different experience from any other school. This school prepared me for high school very well and I had no problems with any of the teachers.... Read 8 reviews

• grade A

• Students 545

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Denver, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.18 out of 5  211 reviews

Senior: Lincoln Charter is a great school as it provides students with multiple opportunities to show service and gives them a great experience of high school. To enhance the high school experience, Lincoln Charter provides various clubs along with multiple activities such as intramurals; however, I believe Lincoln Charter can make some changes in the way activities are operated as some activities tend to be chaotic. Lincoln Charter can also add more cooperative activities as there are many competitive ones but not that many cooperative ones where one can work together with others.... Read 211 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 2,221

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Lincoln County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: NLMS is the best middle school in North Carolina. It has the best teachers, students and a bunch of amazing athletic sport teams. I personally play volleyball and my first season with the panthers were amazing! Great middle school!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 766

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2.25 out of 5  4 reviews

Middle School Student: For the most part, this is a really good school. Some teachers are kind of unprofessional and don't know how to teach as many kids as they have to very well, which is understandable. There is a decent amount of busywork, but it's fine if you can manage your time well. The food was as good as you'd expect from any normal public school. I was taught a lot when I went here and I remember many good experiences. A lot of the bad reviews are about bullying. Honestly, the bullying isn't all that bad. Everyone has their own problems, and people don't understand with that. It's simply a vicious circle of people not knowing where to go for help or what to do with their problems. That's also understandable though, since they're just confused kids.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,268

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: I had a wonderful experience at Crestdale Middle School; I loved my teachers and how patient they were with helping me succeed. My classes were not overly crowded with students, which worked in my favor because it allowed me to receive more one on one time with my teacher and learn better. I would definitely recommend Crestdale to students who will be entering middle school next year.... Read 1 review

• grade A minus

• Students 1,065

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1