Is Marion Middle a good school?

Marion Middle ranks 277 th of 417 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Marion Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 389 students attended Marion Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Marion Middle?

Students at Marion Middle are 90% White, 5% Hispanic, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Marion Middle attend?

Students who attend Marion Middle usually go on to attend Marion Senior High

Marion Middle

Summary:

Marion Middle is a public middle school located in Marion, Virginia, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 431 students. The school is part of the Smyth County Public Schools district, which is ranked 25th out of 130 school districts in Virginia and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Marion Middle excels in Algebra I (100% proficiency) and 6th grade Mathematics (70% proficiency), it struggles in 7th and 8th grade Mathematics, with proficiency rates below the state and district averages. The school also has a significantly higher percentage of white students (93.04%) compared to nearby schools like Chilhowie Middle (92.48% white) and Glade Spring Middle (92.13% white). Additionally, Marion Middle has a very high percentage of students (96.52%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population, which is significantly higher than the nearby Chilhowie Middle (69.61%) and Glade Spring Middle (79.92%).

Over the past decade, Marion Middle's statewide ranking has steadily declined, from 188th out of 413 Virginia middle schools in 2017-2018 to 277th out of 417 in 2023-2024. This suggests that the school is struggling to keep pace with other middle schools in the state. Additionally, Marion Middle's performance data shows a significant gap between female and male students, with female students ranking 231st out of 407 Virginia middle schools, while male students ranked 300th out of 407. To address these challenges, the school and district may need to explore strategies to improve instructional practices, provide targeted support for struggling students, and leverage the best practices of higher-performing nearby schools like Northwood Middle and Glade Spring Middle.

Detail:

Public 6-8

134 Wilden St
Marion, VA 24354

(276) 783-4466

District: Smyth County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
277^th of 417 Virginia Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,942

Students who attend Marion Middle usually attend:

High:

Marion Senior High

Feeder schools for Marion Middle:

Elementary:	Atkins Elementary
	Marion Elementary
	Oak Point Elementary
	Sugar Grove Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 10.9

Number of students: 389

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.5%

Hispanic:

4.6%

African American:

3.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 102.1%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Marion Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Marion Middle ranks worse than 66.4% of middle schools in Virginia. It also ranks last among 3 ranked middle schools in the Smyth County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 39.59. (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 Marion Middle has the largest middle school student body size in the Smyth County Public Schools District. Racial makeup is: White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.6%), African American (3.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 102.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Smyth County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Marion Middle is 10.9. 1 middle schools in the Smyth County Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Marion Middle employs 35.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Marion Middle is $6,942, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Smyth County Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Marion Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Marion Middle 277^th of 417 Virginia public middle schools. (See Marion Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Smyth County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Smyth County Public Schools 25^th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Marion Middle

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Rank History for all students at Marion Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile
2005	49.91	210^th	340	38.2%
2006	52.23	173^rd	383	54.8%
2007	61.40	120^th	387	69.0%
2008	57.27	141^st	391	63.9%
2009	46.78	218^th	390	44.1%
2010	34.58	311^th	408	23.8%
2011	33.72	324^th	413	21.5%
2012	32.34	327^th	413	20.8%
2013	34.57	290^th	416	30.3%
2014	37.88	269^th	416	35.3%
2015	29.10	319^th	412	22.6%
2016	42.29	258^th	409	36.9%
2017	50.65	203^rd	415	51.1%
2018	53.81	188^th	413	54.5%
2019	52.12	210^th	424	50.5%
2021	40.02	246^th	419	41.3%
2022	40.93	245^th	415	41.0%
2023	43.36	261^st	422	38.2%
2024	39.59	277^th	417	33.6%

See the entire list of Virginia Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Marion Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	47.79	210^th	402	47.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Marion Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	54.39	191^st	411	53.5%
2024	47.24	231^st	407	43.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Marion Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	34.31	295^th	409	27.9%
2024	30.83	300^th	407	26.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Marion Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	28.42	322^nd	402	19.9%
2024	22.50	346^th	396	12.6%

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 Marion 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	474	474
1990	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	465	465
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	433	433
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	444	444
1993	396	5	3	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	407
1994	414	8	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	424
1995	378	11	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	392
1996	378	11	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	392
1997	364	6	1	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	372
1998	569	6	2	4	2	n/a	n/a	0	583
1999	528	9	1	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	544
2000	495	14	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	-4	509
2001	488	12	0	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	507
2002	546	10	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	563
2003	546	10	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	563
2004	562	10	4	9	0	n/a	n/a	1	586
2005	552	10	3	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	577
2006	551	9	1	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	574
2007	536	9	4	10	2	n/a	n/a	2	563
2008	494	14	5	4	3	n/a	n/a	0	520
2009	467	18	5	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	498
2010	471	21	3	11	0	n/a	n/a	1	507
2011	470	19	2	10	1	0	0	0	502
2012	498	18	2	9	1	0	0	0	528
2013	492	19	0	7	1	0	0	0	519
2014	464	16	3	9	0	0	1	0	493
2015	492	13	5	6	0	0	3	0	519
2016	475	15	5	9	0	0	3	0	507
2017	493	15	3	12	0	0	4	0	527
2018	481	9	3	15	0	0	7	0	515
2019	502	13	3	14	0	0	7	0	539
2020	486	16	1	17	0	1	5	0	526
2021	474	17	0	10	0	1	3	0	505
2022	423	14	1	9	0	1	2	0	450
2023	401	10	2	12	0	0	6	0	431
2024	352	12	1	18	0	0	6	0	389

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 Marion Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	474	28.9	16.4	n/a
1990	465	30.7	15.1	n/a
1991	433	31.9	13.5	n/a
1992	444	32.5	13.6	n/a
1993	407	34.1	11.9	n/a
1994	424	24.4	n/a	24.1
1995	392	n/a	0.0	26.5
1996	392	n/a	0.0	26.5
1997	372	n/a	0.0	28.2
1998	583	n/a	0.0	29.8
1999	544	38.0	14.3	37.3
2000	509	n/a	0.0	36.3
2001	507	41.3	12.3	38.9
2002	563	54.0	10.4	45.8
2003	563	54.0	10.4	45.8
2004	586	49.0	12.0	46.8
2005	577	46.0	12.5	46.3
2006	574	44.0	13.0	53.1
2007	563	37.0	15.2	48
2008	520	26.4	19.7	51
2009	498	29.1	17.1	51.8
2010	507	28.3	17.8	58.3
2011	502	25.0	20.0	57.8
2012	528	41.4	12.7	56.6
2013	519	37.5	13.8	54.3
2014	493	38.5	12.7	54.4
2015	519	38.0	13.6	58.6
2016	507	34.0	14.9	57.8
2017	527	38.6	13.6	58.6
2018	515	37.9	13.5	63.1
2019	539	37.7	14.2	88.1
2020	526	35.6	14.7	75.7
2021	505	35.8	14.0	n/a
2022	450	41.8	10.7	88.4
2023	431	35.7	12.0	96.5
2024	389	35.5	10.9	102.1

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 Marion Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	474	28.9	16.4	n/a
1990	465	30.7	15.1	n/a
1991	433	31.9	13.5	n/a
1992	444	32.5	13.6	n/a
1993	407	34.1	11.9	n/a
1994	424	24.4	n/a	24.1
1995	392	n/a	0.0	26.5
1996	392	n/a	0.0	26.5
1997	372	n/a	0.0	28.2
1998	583	n/a	0.0	29.8
1999	544	38.0	14.3	37.3
2000	509	n/a	0.0	36.3
2001	507	41.3	12.3	38.9
2002	563	54.0	10.4	45.8
2003	563	54.0	10.4	45.8
2004	586	49.0	12.0	46.8
2005	577	46.0	12.5	46.3
2006	574	44.0	13.0	53.1
2007	563	37.0	15.2	48
2008	520	26.4	19.7	51
2009	498	29.1	17.1	51.8
2010	507	28.3	17.8	58.3
2011	502	25.0	20.0	57.8
2012	528	41.4	12.7	56.6
2013	519	37.5	13.8	54.3
2014	493	38.5	12.7	54.4
2015	519	38.0	13.6	58.6
2016	507	34.0	14.9	57.8
2017	527	38.6	13.6	58.6
2018	515	37.9	13.5	63.1
2019	539	37.7	14.2	88.1
2020	526	35.6	14.7	75.7
2021	505	35.8	14.0	n/a
2022	450	41.8	10.7	88.4
2023	431	35.7	12.0	96.5
2024	389	35.5	10.9	102.1

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 Marion Middle

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$298 (5.3%)	$5,374 (94.8%)	$5,671
2020	$438 (7.2%)	$5,634 (92.8%)	$6,072
2021	$645 (9.3%)	$6,297 (90.7%)	$6,942

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Marion 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 210^th of 424 Middle schools	Ranks 261^st of 422 Middle schools	12.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Marion Middle)	81	51.1	29.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (Smyth County Public Schools)	86	69	17%
6th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)	78	57.8	20.2%
6th Grade English Reading (Marion Middle)	73	54.7	18.3%
6th Grade English Reading (Smyth County Public Schools)	77	65.7	11.3%
6th Grade English Reading (Virginia)	77	70.4	6.6%
7th Grade Mathematics (Marion Middle)	87	55.5	31.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Smyth County Public Schools)	89	56.9	32.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)	78	51.4	26.6%
7th Grade English Reading (Marion Middle)	84	66.4	17.6%
7th Grade English Reading (Smyth County Public Schools)	83	78.7	4.3%
7th Grade English Reading (Virginia)	79	70.3	8.7%
8th Grade Writing (Marion Middle)	61	55.5	5.5%
8th Grade Writing (Smyth County Public Schools)	66	64.8	1.3%
8th Grade Writing (Virginia)	70	55.5	14.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Marion Middle)	77	36.3	40.7%
8th Grade Mathematics (Smyth County Public Schools)	83	55.7	27.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)	77	48.4	28.6%
8th Grade Science (Marion Middle)	85	67.4	17.6%
8th Grade Science (Smyth County Public Schools)	85	75	10%
8th Grade Science (Virginia)	78	60.7	17.3%
8th Grade English Reading (Marion Middle)	76	64.6	11.4%
8th Grade English Reading (Smyth County Public Schools)	75	73.8	1.2%
8th Grade English Reading (Virginia)	76	70.7	5.3%
End of Course Algebra I (Marion Middle)	100	93	7%
End of Course Algebra I (Smyth County Public Schools)	85	81	4%
End of Course Algebra I (Virginia)	86	80	6%
End of Course Geography (Marion Middle)	79	71	8%
End of Course Geography (Smyth County Public Schools)	82	72	10%
End of Course Geography (Virginia)	80	66	14%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	539	431	20%
African American	13	10	23.1%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	3	2	33.3%
Hispanic	14	12	14.3%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	502	401	20.1%
Two or More Races	7	6	14.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	88.1%	96.5%	8.4%

Schools Near Marion Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SOL Algebra I (2024)	SOL Mathematics (2024)			SOL Science (2024)	SOL English Reading (2024)			SOL Geography (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 Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Geography 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Marion Middle	Public	6-8	134 Wilden St	Marion	24354	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 783-4466	389	36	10.9	102.1%	352 (90.5%)	12 (3.1%)	18 (4.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	39.6	277^th of 417 public middle schools	33.6%		43.4	261^st of 422 public middle schools	38.2%	16	100.0	70.0	45.0	28.7	63.9	72.9	61.1	68.0	72.4	62.1	$6,942	$645	$6,297
Northwood Middle	Public	6-8	156 Long Hollow Rd	Saltville	24370	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 624-3341	164	21	7.8	100.0%	158 (96.3%)	1 (0.6%)	4 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	62.8	157^th of 417 public middle schools	62.4%		72.1	114^th of 422 public middle schools	73.0%	43	100.0	86.2	35.1	75.0	90.2	72.3	61.8	90.2	89.7	69.1	$12,288	$819	$11,469
Chilhowie Middle	Public	6-8	1162 East Lee Hwy	Chilhowie	24319	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 646-3942	295	25	12.0	99.7%	269 (91.2%)	10 (3.4%)	11 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	72.2	99^th of 417 public middle schools	76.3%		81.2	46^th of 422 public middle schools	89.1%	53	100.0	77.4	62.0	69.2	82.5	73.5	83.2	86.1	78.5	78.8	$7,220	$775	$6,445
Rural Retreat Middle	Public	6-8	325 E. Buck Ave.	Rural Retreat	24368	Wythe County	Wythe County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 686-5200	229	17	13.2	76.0%	218 (95.2%)	5 (2.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	81.5	46^th of 417 public middle schools	89.0%		86.3	21^st of 422 public middle schools	95.0%	25	100.0	70.4	79.7	86.0	85.5	77.5	82.4	87.0		86.5	$6,734	$31	$6,703
Glade Spring Middle	Public	6-8	33474 Stage Coach Rd	Glade Spring	24340	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 739-3800	233	27	8.7	71.7%	211 (90.6%)	2 (0.9%)	13 (5.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	76.7	76^th of 417 public middle schools	81.8%		80.1	52^nd of 422 public middle schools	87.7%	24	97.1	85.4	79.5	86.0	75.3	80.5	77.4	83.5	82.4	82.3	$8,614	$155	$8,458

Marion Middle

Marion Middle:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Smyth County Public Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Marion Middle

Rank History for all students at Marion Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Marion Middle

Rank History for Female students at Marion Middle

Rank History for Male students at Marion Middle

Rank History for White students at Marion Middle

Enrollment information for Marion Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Marion Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Marion Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Marion Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Marion Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Marion Middle

Marion Middle

Northwood Middle

Chilhowie Middle

Rural Retreat Middle

Glade Spring Middle

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