The purpose of the researcher was to test for any significant relationships existing among the physical number of visual arts courses completed by 8th grade students during the middle school years to the actual academic performance as measured by the 2012-2013 North Caroling End of Grade (EOG) examination, specifically the Reading Comprehensive component. Scale scores from 125 students' unnamed, archival files from a school in a district in the southern Piedmont of North Carolina were selected for the study. Student files were chosen using systematic sampling from a middle school which was representative of the population in the school system. The researcher analyzed data using a hierarchical multiple regression model in which the researcher first entered gender, sex, and socioeconomic status into the regression model to control for any effects on the number of years of art courses completed. The researcher determined that the results of the hierarchical regression analysis were not supportive of the research hypothesis. Beta coefficients for the predictive number of visual art courses completed, B = -.10, SE B = .65, β = -.01, t = -.16, p = .88 lacked any predictive value to the core academic area of reading as had been believed by art and reading teachers for decades, at least as was discovered in this study. Some factors beyond the control of the researcher could cause some concern such as changing data systems and changing to a new version of the North Carolina End of Grade examination. Perhaps of most interest to all teachers is the need to check the whys in the justification of any one area as being so inclusive in the overall implementation of the Common Core Standards. Ease of personalization that art courses can offer to all students is just one idea. Perhaps legislatures and school boards members should commission studies to find other advantages or disadvantages.