Is Union Middle a good school?

Union Middle ranks 53 rd of 417 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Union Middle?

In the 2022-23 school year, 583 students attended Union Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Union Middle?

Students at Union Middle are 93% White, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Union Middle attend?

Students who attend Union Middle usually go on to attend Central High

Union Middle

Summary:

Union Middle is a public middle school located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 583 students. This school is part of the Wise County Public Schools district, which is ranked 2 out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Union Middle consistently performs above the state and district averages in standardized test scores across various subjects and grade levels. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school achieved 100% proficiency in Algebra I for 8th grade, significantly higher than the state average of 92.08%. Union Middle also excels in mathematics, with 80% or more of students proficient or better in grades 5-8, outperforming the state and district averages. In English Reading, the school's proficiency rates range from 80.6% to 87.5% across grades 5-8, again surpassing the state and district averages. Union Middle's performance is particularly noteworthy for specific student subgroups, with male students, low socioeconomic status (SES) students, and disabled students all ranking in the top 25% of Virginia middle schools.

Despite serving a more economically disadvantaged population, with 88.85% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, and having a higher student-teacher ratio of 12.9, Union Middle's academic performance remains exceptional. This is in contrast to nearby schools like Coeburn Middle and L.F. Addington Middle, which have slightly more diverse student populations and lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Union Middle's ability to achieve these outstanding results is a testament to the dedication and effectiveness of its educators, as well as the efficient allocation of resources within the Wise County Public Schools district.

Detail:

Public 5-8

3137 Second Avenue East
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219

(276) 523-0195

District: Wise County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
53^rd of 417 Virginia Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,232

Students who attend Union Middle usually attend:

High:	Central High
	Eastside High
	Union High

Feeder schools for Union Middle:

Elementary:	Coeburn Primary
	J.W. Adams Combined
	St. Paul Elementary
	Union Primary
	More...
	Wise Primary

Student/teacher ratio: 12.9

Number of students: 583

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.0%

African American:

3.1%

Two or more races:

2.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 88.9%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Union Middle ranks better than 87.3% of middle schools in Virginia. It also ranks 2^nd among 3 ranked middle schools in the Wise County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 80.81. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Union Middle has the largest middle school student body size in the Wise County Public Schools District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Union Middle is $6,232, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Wise County Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Union Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Union Middle 53^rd of 417 Virginia public middle schools. (See Union Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

White students:

Wise County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Wise County Public Schools 2^nd of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Union Middle

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Rank History for all students at Union Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile
2005	49.85	211^th	340	37.9%
2006	42.68	245^th	383	36.0%
2007	49.63	198^th	387	48.8%
2008	50.31	200^th	391	48.8%
2009	39.22	264^th	390	32.3%
2010	32.97	320^th	408	21.6%
2011	47.18	230^th	413	44.3%
2012	59.47	121^st	413	70.7%
2013	53.48	159^th	416	61.8%
2014	70.33	74^th	416	82.2%
2015	72.57	67^th	412	83.7%
2016	66.22	97^th	409	76.3%
2017	72.42	66^th	415	84.1%
2018	65.38	100^th	413	75.8%
2019	62.94	136^th	424	67.9%
2021	53.13	172^nd	419	58.9%
2022	60.28	146^th	415	64.8%
2023	80.02	55^th	422	87.0%
2024	80.81	53^rd	417	87.3%

See the entire list of Virginia Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Union Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	88.80	17^th	402	95.8%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Union Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	79.43	55^th	411	86.6%
2024	77.16	63^rd	407	84.5%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Union Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	80.95	35^th	278	87.4%
2024	87.65	15^th	281	94.7%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Union Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	79.73	55^th	409	86.6%
2024	82.97	32^nd	407	92.1%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Union Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	67.37	115^th	402	71.4%
2024	66.90	116^th	396	70.7%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Union Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	713	713
1990	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	703	703
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	688	688
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	706	706
1993	648	26	7	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	683
1994	603	27	5	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	635
1995	580	22	4	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	607
1996	580	22	4	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	607
1997	573	18	4	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	595
1998	552	18	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	571
1999	521	8	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	529
2000	492	5	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	-4	493
2001	478	7	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	486
2002	504	19	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	528
2003	504	19	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	528
2004	525	22	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	551
2005	531	21	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	1	556
2006	520	16	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	539
2007	482	20	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	506
2008	464	16	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
2009	476	19	1	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	500
2010	486	25	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	2	520
2011	482	16	1	4	1	0	2	0	506
2012	507	18	3	3	0	0	2	0	533
2013	516	17	2	2	0	0	2	0	539
2014	513	16	2	2	1	0	1	0	535
2015	473	20	3	2	1	1	2	0	502
2016	465	19	3	3	1	2	3	0	496
2017	421	18	3	4	1	1	2	0	450
2018	558	27	2	6	1	1	11	0	606
2019	558	23	1	9	0	1	9	0	601
2020	560	27	1	6	0	1	14	0	609
2021	591	23	0	4	0	0	16	0	634
2022	549	15	0	7	0	1	14	0	586
2023	542	18	0	9	1	1	12	0	583

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Union Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	713	36.3	19.6	n/a
1990	703	35.5	19.8	n/a
1991	688	36.4	18.9	n/a
1992	706	37.1	19.0	n/a
1993	683	38.2	17.9	n/a
1994	635	31.7	n/a	n/a
1995	607	n/a	0.0	34.3
1996	607	n/a	0.0	34.3
1997	595	n/a	0.0	36.1
1998	571	n/a	0.0	34.3
1999	529	36.0	14.7	41.4
2000	493	n/a	0.0	40.2
2001	486	34.6	14.0	40.3
2002	528	45.8	11.5	45.1
2003	528	45.8	11.5	45.1
2004	551	44.8	12.3	52.8
2005	556	37.8	14.7	49.7
2006	539	42.0	12.8	49.9
2007	506	35.6	14.2	47.2
2008	484	30.3	16.0	50.6
2009	500	32.2	15.5	48.2
2010	520	33.5	15.5	53.7
2011	506	32.6	15.4	52.8
2012	533	39.9	13.3	52.2
2013	539	38.9	13.8	54.9
2014	535	37.0	14.4	55.5
2015	502	37.0	13.5	55.4
2016	496	38.0	13.0	56.5
2017	450	35.2	12.7	56.2
2018	606	41.0	14.7	84.7
2019	601	42.5	14.1	87.7
2020	609	42.9	14.1	87
2021	634	41.7	15.1	n/a
2022	586	48.0	12.1	90.4
2023	583	45.0	12.9	88.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Union Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	713	36.3	19.6	n/a
1990	703	35.5	19.8	n/a
1991	688	36.4	18.9	n/a
1992	706	37.1	19.0	n/a
1993	683	38.2	17.9	n/a
1994	635	31.7	n/a	n/a
1995	607	n/a	0.0	34.3
1996	607	n/a	0.0	34.3
1997	595	n/a	0.0	36.1
1998	571	n/a	0.0	34.3
1999	529	36.0	14.7	41.4
2000	493	n/a	0.0	40.2
2001	486	34.6	14.0	40.3
2002	528	45.8	11.5	45.1
2003	528	45.8	11.5	45.1
2004	551	44.8	12.3	52.8
2005	556	37.8	14.7	49.7
2006	539	42.0	12.8	49.9
2007	506	35.6	14.2	47.2
2008	484	30.3	16.0	50.6
2009	500	32.2	15.5	48.2
2010	520	33.5	15.5	53.7
2011	506	32.6	15.4	52.8
2012	533	39.9	13.3	52.2
2013	539	38.9	13.8	54.9
2014	535	37.0	14.4	55.5
2015	502	37.0	13.5	55.4
2016	496	38.0	13.0	56.5
2017	450	35.2	12.7	56.2
2018	606	41.0	14.7	84.7
2019	601	42.5	14.1	87.7
2020	609	42.9	14.1	87
2021	634	41.7	15.1	n/a
2022	586	48.0	12.1	90.4
2023	583	45.0	12.9	88.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Union Middle

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$195 (3.3%)	$5,684 (96.7%)	$5,879
2020	$226 (3.8%)	$5,773 (96.2%)	$5,998
2021	$148 (2.4%)	$6,085 (97.6%)	$6,232

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Union Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 136^th of 424 Middle schools	Ranks 55^th of 422 Middle schools	19%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
5th Grade Mathematics (Union Middle)	90	83.7	6.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Wise County Public Schools)	94	86.3	7.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)	81	67	14%
5th Grade Science (Union Middle)	85	84.7	0.3%
5th Grade Science (Wise County Public Schools)	89	83.1	5.9%
5th Grade Science (Virginia)	79	66	13%
5th Grade English Reading (Union Middle)	81	82.4	1.3%
5th Grade English Reading (Wise County Public Schools)	84	82.5	1.5%
5th Grade English Reading (Virginia)	78	71.4	6.6%
6th Grade Mathematics (Union Middle)	90	84.7	5.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Wise County Public Schools)	93	88.1	4.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)	78	57.8	20.2%
6th Grade English Reading (Union Middle)	82	84	2%
6th Grade English Reading (Wise County Public Schools)	87	87.1	0.1%
6th Grade English Reading (Virginia)	77	70.4	6.6%
7th Grade Mathematics (Union Middle)	76	73.8	2.2%
7th Grade Mathematics (Wise County Public Schools)	88	85.3	2.8%
7th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)	78	51.4	26.6%
7th Grade English Reading (Union Middle)	78	78.8	0.8%
7th Grade English Reading (Wise County Public Schools)	84	84.7	0.7%
7th Grade English Reading (Virginia)	79	70.3	8.7%
8th Grade Writing (Union Middle)	76	70.2	5.8%
8th Grade Writing (Wise County Public Schools)	76	73.9	2.1%
8th Grade Writing (Virginia)	70	55.5	14.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Union Middle)	87	71	16%
8th Grade Mathematics (Wise County Public Schools)	93	80.7	12.4%
8th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)	77	48.4	28.6%
8th Grade Science (Union Middle)	86	69.3	16.7%
8th Grade Science (Wise County Public Schools)	88	80.4	7.7%
8th Grade Science (Virginia)	78	60.7	17.3%
8th Grade English Reading (Union Middle)	80	80.9	0.8%
8th Grade English Reading (Wise County Public Schools)	84	84.5	0.5%
8th Grade English Reading (Virginia)	76	70.7	5.3%
End of Course Algebra I (Union Middle)	100	100
End of Course Algebra I (Wise County Public Schools)	94	94
End of Course Algebra I (Virginia)	86	80	6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	601	583	3%
African American	23	18	21.7%
American Indian	0	1
Asian	1	0	100%
Hispanic	9	9
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	558	542	2.9%
Two or More Races	9	12	33.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	87.7%	88.9%	1.2%

Schools Near Union Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SOL Writing (2024)	SOL Algebra I (2024)	SOL Mathematics (2024)				SOL Science (2024)		SOL English Reading (2024)				SOL Civics and Economics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Writing 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Union Middle	Public	5-8	3137 Second Avenue East	Big Stone Gap	24219	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 523-0195	583	45	12.9	88.9%	542 (93.0%)	18 (3.1%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.1%)	80.8	53^rd of 417 public middle schools	87.3%		80	55^th of 422 public middle schools	87.0%	2		100.0	80.5	80.7	81.1	73.7	78.1	73.5	87.5	80.6	82.0	84.6	86.1	$6,232	$148	$6,085
L.F. Addington Middle	Public	5-8	324 School St	Wise	24293	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 328-8821	451	40	11.2	100.7%	421 (93.3%)	7 (1.6%)	10 (2.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.8%)	91.7	6^th of 417 public middle schools	98.6%		86.8	18^th of 422 public middle schools	95.7%	12		100.0	90.8	93.0	91.8	93.4	77.0	88.2	81.6	89.5	92.3	89.0	89.3	$6,282	$456	$5,826
Rye Cove Intermediate	Public	5-7	158 Memorial School Lane	Clinchport	24244	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 940-2322	153	14	11.3	78.4%	138 (90.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	69.3	118^th of 417 public middle schools	71.7%		64.4	144^th of 422 public middle schools	65.9%	26			82.2	72.3	75.4		71.1		80.0	80.9	73.7		75.4	$8,305	$657	$7,648
Coeburn Middle	Public	5-8	518 Centre Ave NE	Coeburn	24230	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 395-2135	307	32	9.6	88.6%	292 (95.1%)	4 (1.3%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	74.5	87^th of 417 public middle schools	79.1%		79.9	57^th of 422 public middle schools	86.5%	30		100.0	88.0	87.5	64.9	92.4	60.2	78.0	65.1	86.1	72.2	72.5	78.4	$7,639	$573	$7,066
Pennington Middle	Public	5-7	121 Bobcat Circle	Pennington Gap	24277	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 546-1453	274	29	9.5	100.0%	264 (96.4%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	60.4	175^th of 417 public middle schools	58.0%		49.3	220^th of 422 public middle schools	47.9%	45			65.9	76.7	91.1		63.3		58.2	71.9	68.5		64.0	$8,506	$1,936	$6,571
Gate City Middle	Public	7-8	170 Harry Fry Drive	Gate City	24251	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 386-6065	333	27	12.5	78.1%	317 (95.2%)	6 (1.8%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	78.6	65^th of 417 public middle schools	84.4%		87.8	15^th of 422 public middle schools	96.4%	50	60.9				83.5	86.5		77.9			81.0	77.4	82.3	$9,771	$1,291	$8,479

Union Middle

Union Middle:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Wise County Public Schools:

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Rank History for Union Middle

Rank History for all students at Union Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Union Middle

Rank History for Female students at Union Middle

Rank History for Disabled students at Union Middle

Rank History for Male students at Union Middle

Rank History for White students at Union Middle

Enrollment information for Union Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Union Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Union Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Union Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Union Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Union Middle

Union Middle

L.F. Addington Middle

Rye Cove Intermediate

Coeburn Middle

Pennington Middle

Gate City Middle

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