Summary:
Salina has two middle schools, Salina South Middle and Lakewood Middle School, both serving grades 6–8. In 2025–2026, both schools scored below the state in all-grades ELA, math and science; the two-school average was 6 percentage points below the state in ELA, 5 points below in math and 3 points below in science. The clearest overall difference for families comparing the schools is that South leads in ELA and math, while Lakewood’s small science advantage keeps South from leading in every subject.
Salina South stands out in the latest all-grades ELA and math results: it scored 43% in ELA and 38% in math, ahead of Lakewood by 6 and 4 percentage points, respectively. Lakewood is slightly ahead in science, at 36% compared with South’s 35%. Grade-level results add important nuance: South is 3 points above the state in seventh-grade ELA and 1 point above in eighth-grade math, despite being below the state in all-grades results. Lakewood’s seventh-grade ELA is just above the state, and its seventh-grade math leads South by 2 points, though it remains 1 point below the state.
Recent score changes are mixed: South’s ELA and science results rose slightly while math dipped; Lakewood improved in ELA and math but fell 4 points in science. Across the two schools, average ELA and math rose about 1 point each, while science fell 2 points. SchoolDigger’s rankings have declined over three years: South went from the 57th to the 47th percentile, and Lakewood from the 46th to the 35th; South ranks higher in the latest year. South has a higher student-teacher ratio (13.4 versus 12.2) and a lower free/reduced-lunch rate (61% versus 66%); these are descriptive differences, not explanations for results. The comparison covers only these two schools.
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