Middle Schools in Chatham County Schools

The Chatham County Schools district in North Carolina is home to three middle schools serving grades 6-8: Margaret B. Pollard Middle, Chatham Middle, and George M. Horton Middle. These schools exhibit significant disparities in academic performance, student demographics, and resource allocation, highlighting the need for greater educational equity within the Chatham County Schools district.

Among the three middle schools, Margaret B. Pollard Middle stands out as the top performer, consistently ranking among the best middle schools in North Carolina and maintaining a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. In contrast, Chatham Middle struggles academically, with proficiency rates well below the district and state averages. George M. Horton Middle falls somewhere in the middle, performing above the district and state averages but not to the same degree as Margaret B. Pollard Middle.

The disparities in academic performance are mirrored by differences in student demographics and socioeconomic status. Margaret B. Pollard Middle has a predominantly White student population with a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, while Chatham Middle serves a majority Hispanic student population with a high percentage of students from low-income families. These factors likely contribute to the significant differences in educational outcomes observed across the three middle schools in the Chatham County Schools district.