South Middle School

South Middle School is a public middle school located in Aurora, Colorado, serving 139 students in grade 8. The school is part of the Aurora Joint District No. 28, which is ranked 111 out of 115 school districts in Colorado and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

South Middle School faces significant challenges, with a student population that is predominantly Hispanic (71.22%) and from low-income families (88.49% free or reduced-price lunch recipients). The school consistently ranks among the lowest-performing middle schools in Colorado, ranking 480 out of 480 in the 2022-2023 school year. Its academic performance, as measured by CMAS test scores, is significantly lower than the state and district averages across all subjects and grade levels, with only 2.2% to 9.5% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Math. While the nearby schools in the Aurora Joint District No. 28 also struggle academically, with most ranking in the bottom half of Colorado middle schools, South Middle School consistently performs the worst.

Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.2 to 16 over the past three school years, South Middle School's academic performance has not improved. This suggests that other factors, such as curriculum, instructional strategies, or school leadership, may need to be addressed to drive student achievement. The school's consistently low rankings and test scores, coupled with the high percentage of students from low-income families, indicate that targeted interventions and support may be necessary to improve outcomes for the students at South Middle School.