Northwest Middle, Winston-Salem: zone, report card and calendar

Northwest Middle School, 5501 Murray Road: grades 6 to 8, 723 students in 2024-25 and an F (30) in 2024-25 state grades.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ school locator, boundary maps, bell schedules and 2026-27 calendar, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data and report card data and the federal NCES school directory.

Northwest Middle School is a Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools middle school for grades 6 to 8 at 5501 Murray Road in Winston-Salem.

Who to call

Front office: 336-703-4161, 5501 Murray Road, Winston-Salem

School website: www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/o/nms

Enrollment and assignment: WS/FCS Student Assignment Office, 336-748-3302; student assignment page

Which school is my address zoned for? The district’s School Locator

Buses and the district office: WS/FCS main line, 336-727-2816, 475 Corporate Square Drive


Address	5501 Murray Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Phone	336-703-4161
Grades	6 to 8
Run by	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Calendar	Traditional
State school code	340464

Principal

Principal Laquisha Henry-Linder, according to the school’s staff directory on Oct. 12, 2026.

Enrollment and teachers

State count: an average daily membership of 723 students in the 2024-25 school year, according to the state’s report card data.
Federal count: 759 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 15 students per teacher.

State report card

North Carolina gives every public school an A to F School Performance Grade, based 80% on achievement on state tests and other measures and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report.

School year	Grade (score)	Growth
2024-25	F (30)	Not met
2023-24	F (28)	Not met

The 2024-25 grade is the latest in the state’s downloadable report card data.

From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment data:

At grade level or above, all state tests: 32.9% (state: 59.2%)
College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 15.6% (state: 37.5%)
Growth: did not meet expected growth

The full report card, with attendance, teacher and course data, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Every Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools address is assigned a residential elementary, middle and high school. Check an address with the district’s School Locator or the Student Assignment Office at 336-748-3302; the district also publishes boundary maps. Families can apply to magnet and choice schools outside their zone during the application periods on the assignment timeline.

We compared the district’s elementary, middle and high school zones, as published in the City of Winston-Salem’s school district map layers, with Forsyth County’s address points. About 42% of the residential addresses in its zone are inside Winston-Salem’s city limits. By elementary zone, the homes in its zone fall mainly in Rural Hall Elementary (34%), Old Richmond Elementary (31%) and Gibson Elementary (30%). For high school, its zone splits between North Forsyth High (85%) and Reagan High (15%). The locator is the final word for any single address.

Calendar and bell times

School day: The district’s bell schedule gives 7:25 a.m. to 2 p.m. for most middle schools; Northwest Middle is not among the listed exceptions. Two-hour early dismissal is at noon.

Northwest Middle follows the district’s 2026-27 calendar. Coming up:

Tuesday, Nov. 3: teacher professional day (Election Day); no school for students
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
Friday, Dec. 18: end of the second quarter and first semester
Dec. 21 to Jan. 4: winter break
Monday, Jan. 18, 2027: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, Feb. 15, 2027: teacher professional day
March 26 to April 2, 2027: spring break
Friday, May 21, 2027: last day of school

The district has set Dec. 21-22, Jan. 4, Feb. 15 and May 24-28 as make-up days for bad weather.

The school’s own website
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ student assignment page and list of schools and programs
Every public school in Winston-Salem, with zones and report cards
Our Winston-Salem schools guide for the district and school board

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Northwest Middle serve?

Northwest Middle serves grades 6 to 8, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

What is Northwest Middle’s school grade?

Northwest Middle earned an F, with a score of 30, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 32.9% of its state tests were at grade level or above.

How do I know if my address is zoned for Northwest Middle?

Enter the address in the WS/FCS School Locator. The Student Assignment Office is 336-748-3302.

What time does Northwest Middle start?

The school day runs 7:25 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the district’s bell schedule.