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South Middle School

Q: Is South Middle School a good school?

South Middle School ranks 189 th of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

189^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 83% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

South Middle School in suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois, serves grades 6–8 and enrolls 812 students. Its clearest strength is eighth-grade science: in 2025–26, 82% of students were proficient, compared with 52% statewide and 80% in Arlington Heights School District 25. South also outperformed every nearby school in eighth-grade science, making this its most distinctive result.

South’s results are stronger than the state’s overall, but its local and district comparisons vary by subject. All-grades ELA proficiency was 76%, about 20 points above the state and 1 point above the district; South ranked fifth among the 11 nearby schools. Math was 56%, 16 points above the state but 7 points below the district, and tied for fifth–sixth locally. Nearby-school averages were 64% in ELA and 47% in math, so South was above both, though several peers matched or exceeded its scores. Grade-level results show more detail: sixth-grade ELA was 69%, below the district’s 72% and four nearby schools, while seventh-grade ELA was 83%, second among nearby schools. Eighth-grade math was 52%, above the district’s 49% and second locally.

Scores rose from 2023–24 to 2025–26: ELA increased from 72% to 76%, and math from 48% to 56%, though South’s advantage over the state narrowed in both subjects. Attendance is another positive: chronic absenteeism fell from 13% in 2021–22 to 7% in 2025–26, the lowest rate among nearby schools. SchoolDigger rates South at the 83rd statewide percentile, with 4 stars and a rank of 189 out of 1,126; its percentile has declined from 91 over three reported years. South’s student-teacher ratio is 12:1, near the nearby-school average of 12.3:1. In 2024–25, 16% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the second-lowest rate among nine nearby schools with that measure. SchoolDigger’s statewide rankings for how well South serves student groups are notably lower than its overall ranking: 42nd percentile for Asian students and 27th for special education students, versus 83rd overall; the ranking pools change across years, so subgroup trends warrant caution.

812

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,805

Per pupil spending ?

15.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.9%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

400 S Highland Ave
Arlington Heights, IL 60005-1868

(847) 398-4250

District: Arlington Heights School District 25

Feeder schools for South Middle School:

Elementary:	Dryden Elementary School
	Westgate Elementary School
	Windsor Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.6%

Hispanic:

9.0%

Asian:

6.2%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare South Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2016 → 83rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (71% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of Illinois middle schools

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg73%

Illinois avg49%

189^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 17%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 11% (2016) to top 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Arlington Heights School District 25

83^rd of 738Arlington Heights School District 25 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	79.5	189 of 1126	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	85.9	178 of 1368	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	88.7	126 of 1363	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	86.9	140 of 1367	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	88.6	115 of 1369	91.6%	★★★★★
2021	88.8	99 of 1241	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	92.9	68 of 1356	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	83.4	179 of 1293	86.2%	★★★★☆
2017	90.9	87 of 1293	93.3%	★★★★★
2016	85.8	140 of 1294	89.2%	★★★★☆
2015	96.8	45 of 1302	96.5%	★★★★★
2014	90.5	73 of 1322	94.5%	★★★★★
2013	90.1	78 of 1367	94.3%	★★★★★
2012	83.0	147 of 1365	89.2%	★★★★☆
2011	81.1	172 of 1344	87.2%	★★★★☆
2010	83.4	125 of 1327	90.6%	★★★★★
2009	84.6	100 of 1318	92.4%	★★★★★
2008	87.4	55 of 1293	95.7%	★★★★★
2007	87.4	56 of 1287	95.6%	★★★★★
2006	85.7	90 of 1272	92.9%	★★★★★
2005	87.4	94 of 1209	92.2%	★★★★★
2004	89.2	71 of 1204	94.1%	★★★★★
2003	86.6	109 of 1185	90.8%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	89 of 154	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.7	103 of 186	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.1	90 of 184	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.5	63 of 192	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.6	106 of 198	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.5	51 of 112	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	76 of 201	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	89 of 209	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	35.9	29 of 40	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	79.5	76 of 694	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	61.8	156 of 639	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	51.1	228 of 674	66.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	41.3	261 of 483	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.8	241 of 486	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.1	129 of 480	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	90.4	8 of 454	98.2%	★★★★★
2021	31.4	232 of 277	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	59.4	64 of 339	81.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	197 of 867	77.3%	★★★★☆
2025	83.8	164 of 1248	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	87.7	120 of 1251	90.4%	★★★★★
2023	85.1	140 of 1275	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	88.0	118 of 1286	90.8%	★★★★★
2021	89.3	69 of 1017	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	92.5	59 of 1276	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	75.4	247 of 1226	79.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	79.2	75 of 483	84.5%	★★★★☆
2025	60.7	227 of 669	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.5	132 of 643	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	65.5	152 of 661	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	66.8	145 of 662	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	47.6	229 of 517	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	220 of 639	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	235 of 590	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	301 of 788	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.4	244 of 1229	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	118 of 1219	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	83.9	98 of 1234	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	88.1	53 of 1221	95.7%	★★★★★
2021	83.1	75 of 1019	92.6%	★★★★★
2019	79.5	151 of 1217	87.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.5	166 of 1161	85.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	75.2	166 of 829	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	84.7	158 of 1271	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.6	125 of 1264	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	86.5	125 of 1292	90.3%	★★★★★
2022	86.9	120 of 1286	90.7%	★★★★★
2021	82.7	128 of 1048	87.8%	★★★★☆
2019	91.9	70 of 1296	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	87.3	114 of 1223	90.7%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	92.0	5 of 179	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	89.1	15 of 164	90.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	179 of 244	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	84.7	98 of 812	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	81.9	101 of 802	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	30.3	544 of 805	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	70.3	96 of 781	87.7%	★★★★☆
2021	70.2	69 of 548	87.4%	★★★★☆
2019	72.3	106 of 792	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	63.9	128 of 602	78.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	205 of 754	72.8%	★★★★☆
2025	75.5	180 of 884	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	140 of 875	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	75.6	168 of 895	81.2%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	130 of 898	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	81.5	103 of 813	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	85.3	81 of 905	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	70.2	226 of 889	74.6%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Multi-racial (2019)97th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)84th percentile~ school

Male (2026)80th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)77th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)73rd percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)62nd percentile-21 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)46th percentile-41 vs school

Asian (2026)42nd percentile-41 vs school

Disabled (2026)28th percentile-56 vs school

Special Education (2026)27th percentile-57 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

Science82%+30 vs state

English Language Arts76%+20 vs state

Mathematics56%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)	IAR English Language Arts (2026)				IAR Mathematics (2026)				Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Middle School	Public	6-8	400 S Highland Ave	Arlington Heights	60005	Cook County	Arlington Heights School District 25	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 398-4250	812	67	12.0	15.6%	679 (83.6%)	8 (1.0%)	73 (9.0%)	50 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	79.5	189^th of 1126 public middle schools	83.2%		85.9	178^th of 1368 public middle schools	87.0%	11	81.5	68.6	83.2	77.4	76.4	53.3	60.8	52.3	55.6	97.9%		$18,805	$710	$18,095
Carl Sandburg Middle School	Public	6-8	2600 Martin Ln	Rolling Meadows	60008	Cook County	Palatine CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 963-7800	468	40	11.6	48.5%	179 (38.2%)	13 (2.8%)	226 (48.3%)	31 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.6%)	24.8	845^th of 1126 public middle schools	25.0%		44.1	711^th of 1368 public middle schools	48.0%	134	40.6	48.1	48.7	60.7	52.5	24.8	18.8	22.8	22.0	98.6%		$21,223	$821	$20,402
Thomas Middle School	Public	6-8	1430 N Belmont Ave	Arlington Heights	60004	Cook County	Arlington Heights School District 25	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 398-4260	1,024	77	13.2	16.0%	722 (70.5%)	16 (1.6%)	94 (9.2%)	174 (17.0%)	2 (0.2%)	10 (1.0%)	6 (0.6%)	81.5	162^nd of 1126 public middle schools	85.6%		91.8	93^rd of 1368 public middle schools	93.2%	69	79.2	75.2	76.4	77.7	76.5	64.1	67.4	46.3	58.7	97.5%		$17,816	$547	$17,269
Holmes Junior High School	Public	6-8	1900 W Lonnquist Blvd	Mount Prospect	60056	Cook County	Community Cons School District 59	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 593-4390	459	49	9.3	62.5%	156 (34.0%)	29 (6.3%)	191 (41.6%)	65 (14.2%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.4%)	37.9	686^th of 1126 public middle schools	39.1%		55.5	546^th of 1368 public middle schools	60.1%	140	43.9	42.5	52.6	43.2	46.2	42.1	51.5	38.6	44.1	97.5%		$26,996	$734	$26,263
Lincoln Middle School	Public	6-8	700 W Lincoln St	Mount Prospect	60056	Cook County	Mount Prospect School District 57	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 394-7350	784	58	13.5	—	576 (73.5%)	13 (1.7%)	87 (11.1%)	62 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (5.9%)	82.6	149^th of 1126 public middle schools	86.8%		78.4	265^th of 1368 public middle schools	80.6%	116	62.5	83.4	86.2	86.8	85.5	52.7	58.9	61.6	57.8	98.3%		$18,297	$502	$17,796
MacArthur Middle School	Public	6-8	700 N Schoenbeck Rd	Prospect Heights	60070	Cook County	Prospect Heights School District 23	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 870-3879	483	36	13.6	41.8%	326 (67.5%)	8 (1.7%)	90 (18.6%)	44 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	83	147^th of 1126 public middle schools	86.9%		88.3	142^nd of 1368 public middle schools	89.6%	5	73.2	78.7	76.9	75.8	77.1	70.1	68.8	50.3	63.4	96.7%		$18,859	$277	$18,582
Winston Campus Middle School	Public	6-8	120 N Babcock Dr	Palatine	60074	Cook County	Palatine CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 963-7400	847	65	12.9	49.9%	240 (28.3%)	41 (4.8%)	510 (60.2%)	35 (4.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.0%)	20.7	904^th of 1126 public middle schools	19.7%		33.2	894^th of 1368 public middle schools	34.6%	10	42.2	44.7	37.4	47.8	43.3	29.9	22.7	23.9	25.7	92.3%		$17,956	$1,036	$16,919
Plum Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2600 Plum Grove Rd	Rolling Meadows	60008	Cook County	Palatine CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 963-7600	1,128	68	16.5	14.9%	544 (48.2%)	35 (3.1%)	103 (9.1%)	393 (34.8%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (4.3%)	76.8	217^th of 1126 public middle schools	80.7%		86.5	170^th of 1368 public middle schools	87.6%	47	60.7	80.2	77.1	73.3	76.9	61.1	65.4	45.4	57.5	98.7%		$15,461	$425	$15,037
River Trails Middle School	Public	6-8	1000 N Wolf Rd	Mount Prospect	60056	Cook County	River Trails School District 26	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 298-1750	508	43	11.8	30.3%	271 (53.3%)	14 (2.8%)	82 (16.1%)	121 (23.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.7%)	66.1	338^th of 1126 public middle schools	70.0%		69.6	366^th of 1368 public middle schools	73.2%	28	54.5	73.0	64.0	61.0	65.7	60.8	57.0	49.4	55.6	98.7%		$19,455	$474	$18,981
Chippewa Middle School	Public	6-8	123 N 8th Ave	Des Plaines	60016	Cook County	Ccsd 62	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 824-1503	652	68	9.5	58.0%	263 (40.3%)	39 (6.0%)	191 (29.3%)	132 (20.2%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	22 (3.4%)	50.6	514^th of 1126 public middle schools	54.4%		65.8	416^th of 1368 public middle schools	69.6%	98	51.5	60.8	56.8	63.9	60.4	36.4	47.6	45.4	43.0	96.5%		$23,414	$522	$22,892

Frequently Asked Questions about South Middle School

Is South Middle School a good school?

South Middle School ranks 189^th of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend South Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 812 students attended South Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of South Middle School?

Students at South Middle School are 84% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Asian.

What district is South Middle School in?

Arlington Heights School District 25

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.