Grayson County Middle School is setting a high bar with its third consecutive ranking as a U.S. News & World Report “Best Middle School.”
Previously conducted on a three-year cycle, GCMS garnered the recognition in 2022 and 2025 for back-to-back honors.
The rankings are now updated annually and include about 47,000 public elementary schools and more than 23,000 middle schools across the country.
Rankings are based on the mathematics and reading performance of public schools and analyzed the at the state and district levels, as determined by state assessment scores as well as socioeconomic demographics.
“While many ranking systems focus solely on test scores, the 2026 U.S. News Best Elementary Schools and Best Middle Schools Rankings attempt to balance student performance with socioeconomic context,” U.S. News & World Report says. “The model acknowledges a long-standing truth backed by decades of research: achievement is deeply tied to poverty and demographics. Test scores alone cannot explain the complexity of school performance, which is why this blended approach provides a more nuanced picture.”
This process validates the high achievement levels of top-ranked schools and their success in providing quality education for all their students.
“US News has rated middle schools three times now, and all three times, we’ve received the recognition,” outgoing GCMS Principal Gary Parker said. “This is a tribute to our students and staff and their amazing efforts each day. With this accomplishment, as well as our KSA Blue status as one of the top 15 percent of Kentucky middle schools, we’re very proud but we realize we’ve got to strive even harder for improvement. It’s all about each student improving.”
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
