The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative research study was to compare the mathematics and science achievement of eighth-grade students in STEM vs. nonSTEM middle schools in Middle Georgia. There was minimal research in regard to the benefits STEM education has on middle schools in Middle Georgia as the initial push and adoption of STEM was centered in grades 6 through 12. STEM, an integration of science, technology engineering and math, has become an alternative to traditional instruction in middle schools as educators work diligently to prepare students for STEM related occupations. This study provided comparative data for eighth-grade student achievement on the NWEA MAP Math and the NWEA MAP Science Assessment. The study used archival 2018-19 NWEA MAP Math and Science of 260 eighth grade students in the selected STEM and Non-STEM schools. Six research questions were examined in this study. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the data regarding the number of schools, gender, and racial ethnicity. The t-test was used to measure mean differences in eighth-grade students' academic achievement in mathematics and sciences who participated in STEM or non-STEM curricula. Demographics variables such as gender and poverty were used to determine the impact STEM education has on students in various subgroups. The results indicated a statistically significant difference in science performance scores for fall, 2019 and Winter 2020. There were no statistically significant differences in math MAP-NWEA scores for STEM versus non-STEM eighth-grade students. There was a statistically significant differences in science performance scores for female students for the fall of 2019. There was a statistically significant difference in science performance scores by females for the winter 2019 There was a statistically significant differences in performance based on SES status for the fall 2019 as reduced lunch students scored higher. There were no statistically significant differences in MAP NWEA math performance scores based on socio-economic status for 2019 and 2020 school year. Future research should be conducted to widen the scope of the study to investigate the implementations of STEM versus NON-STEM in elementary schools. A study should be conducted that investigates the performance of STEM schools. Looking at STEM at the high school level should produce some interesting results. Also, study of STEM versus STEAM should be done with elementary school students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]