The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 67% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Jefferson Middle
Thomas Jefferson Middle serves grades six through eight in Winston-Salem, in the heart of Forsyth County. It is a regular public middle school with an enrollment of roughly mid-sized magnitude for its grade band, distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels. The school sits at 3500 Sally Kirk Road in a postal code where median home values are just under the state benchmark and rents have climbed modestly year-over-year.
The student body is economically challenged across the board. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting deep economic need in the attendance area. In terms of racial and ethnic composition, the enrollment is roughly evenly split among white, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students, with a small number of other groups represented. The data did not include enrollment counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about those population sizes and support pathways.
On state end-of-grade testing in 2024-25, Thomas Jefferson's proficiency rates landed in the low-to-mid range. In math, about seven in ten students met or exceeded the proficiency threshold. In English language arts, the rate dropped slightly to about two-thirds. Science testing covered a smaller portion of the student body and yielded a proficiency rate around two-thirds. The math result is the strongest of the three; the ELA result reflects more substantial challenge. A parent considering this school should understand that while these proficiency levels are not the lowest possible, they indicate that the school is working with students who have material gaps, and that foundational skills in writing and reading warrant attention alongside the gains made in numeracy.
The school operates within Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, a mid-size district serving a city that has reversed decades of decline and now combines a historic downtown, research and medical anchors (Wake Forest School of Medicine, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist), and legacy manufacturing neighborhoods. The district faced a significant capital constraint in 2022 when construction cost inflation forced the board to postpone three bond-funded middle and elementary school projects, including a new Smith Farm middle school. In 2023, Forsyth County provided additional funds to close that gap without raising the property tax rate, preserving renovations to schools including Brunson Elementary and East Forsyth High. The county signaled that a future bond referendum of substantial size could come without a tax rate increase if voters approve it, though no date is set. For families in this attendance area, those dynamics mean capital improvements to the school plant may depend on future voter action.
The district has also adopted a modified academic calendar starting in school year 2026-27, with earlier August starts (August 10 in 2026-27) and earlier May closings than the traditional state school calendar. This is a meaningful change for families who manage childcare, summer camp, and other seasonal planning around the school year. The modification aligns the district's year with state testing windows and AP and IB exam schedules earlier in the season.
Thomas Jefferson Middle is a high-poverty, racially diverse school serving students with real academic needs. The proficiency numbers suggest that solid cohorts of students are meeting grade-level standards in all three tested subjects, but that a meaningful portion of the population requires intervention and support, especially in literacy. This is the profile of a school where classroom experience, the depth of intervention support, teacher stability, and peer culture matter enormously. A parent evaluating this school should visit, talk with current families and teachers, and ask specifically about tutoring, afterschool supports, literacy coaching, and how the school breaks ties and groups students for instruction. Those details will tell whether the school's approach to serving its population is working for the specific student in mind.
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