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Southern Middle School

Q: Is Southern Middle School a good school?

Southern Middle School ranks 131 st of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

131^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 Kentucky Middle Schools

Better than 59% of Kentucky middle schools

Summary

Southern Middle School is a public middle school located in Lexington, Kentucky, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 764 students. It is part of the Fayette County School District, which is ranked 74 out of 157 districts in Kentucky and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Southern Middle School's performance is generally below the Fayette County and Kentucky state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in Mathematics ranged from 38% to 49%, compared to 44% to 50% for Fayette County and 40% to 43% for the state. In Reading, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 46% to 58%, compared to 48% to 55% for Fayette County and 42% to 52% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in Science, with only 34% of 7th-grade students proficient or better, compared to 33% for Fayette County and 29% for the state.

When compared to other middle schools in the Fayette County district, Southern Middle School generally performs below average, with lower academic proficiency rates and higher rates of chronic absenteeism and dropouts. However, there are some notable exceptions, such as Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School and Jessie M. Clark Middle School, which consistently outperform Southern Middle School and the district and state averages. These high-performing schools serve a more affluent student population, with lower percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

759

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,305

Per pupil spending ?

52.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 Wilson-Downing Rd
Lexington, KY 40517

(859) 381-3582

District: Fayette County

Students who attend Southern Middle School usually attend:

High:

Tates Creek High School

Feeder schools for Southern Middle School:

Elementary:	Lansdowne Elementary School
	Southern Elementary School
	Veterans Park Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.6%

African American:

24.2%

Hispanic:

16.7%

See top rated Kentucky middle schools

Compare Southern Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2015 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Kentucky median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg48%

Kentucky avg43%

131^st of 320

Kentucky public middle schools ?

Top 41%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 47% (2015) to top 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 12Middle Schools in the Fayette County

74^th of 157Fayette County among Kentucky 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	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	56.1	131 of 320	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.8	217 of 324	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	194 of 327	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.8	149 of 320	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.7	159 of 282	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.2	136 of 335	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.1	181 of 322	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.7	191 of 330	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.6	213 of 331	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	50.7	159 of 337	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	47.3	180 of 335	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.9	107 of 335	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.2	130 of 319	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.7	109 of 304	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.1	93 of 299	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	75.9	52 of 289	82.0%	★★★★☆
2008	70.4	69 of 287	76.0%	★★★★☆
2007	66.5	82 of 284	71.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	27 of 83	67.5%	★★★★☆
2024	29.5	59 of 80	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.7	54 of 79	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.9	47 of 84	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.5	13 of 17	23.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.8	54 of 96	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	63 of 96	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	28 of 32	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	17 of 25	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	35.4	144 of 226	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.9	214 of 219	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	22.5	17 of 18	5.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.1	12 of 38	68.4%	★★★★☆
2018	30.4	31 of 35	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	52.0	131 of 298	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.9	194 of 300	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	171 of 295	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.4	152 of 299	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.0	166 of 233	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.2	157 of 299	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	190 of 290	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	66.5	14 of 62	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	67.5	17 of 63	73.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	55.2	51 of 131	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.1	98 of 123	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	100 of 119	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	96 of 120	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.1	40 of 120	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.3	70 of 116	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	166 of 314	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.5	256 of 311	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	235 of 309	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.9	191 of 310	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.2	198 of 224	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.2	217 of 303	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.4	242 of 285	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	57.0	113 of 303	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.7	208 of 304	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	200 of 307	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.8	131 of 304	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.0	130 of 222	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.1	101 of 303	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.4	148 of 293	49.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	47 of 101	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.7	80 of 99	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.5	78 of 95	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	56.7	32 of 98	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.9	26 of 87	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	37.8	55 of 85	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	38.2	66 of 126	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.6	88 of 124	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.0	114 of 294	61.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	49 of 314	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	61.3	103 of 316	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.7	70 of 320	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	72.7	55 of 314	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	68.7	39 of 213	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	68.2	60 of 266	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	61.1	82 of 253	67.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2025)84th percentile+25 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)77th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2025)67th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)63rd percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile~ school

Female (2025)56th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)53rd percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2025)48th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)47th percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2019)36th percentile-23 vs school

Asian (2025)12th percentile-47 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)6th percentile-54 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Editing and Mechanics57%+8 vs state

Reading53%+6 vs state

Writing47%~ state avg

Social Studies44%+5 vs state

Mathematics42%~ state avg

Science34%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southern Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)					KSA Reading (2025)					KSA Science (2025)	KSA Writing (2025)		KSA Social Studies (2025)		KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 4th Grade	KSA Mathematics 5th Grade	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Reading 4th Grade	KSA Reading 5th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Writing 5th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 5th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 5th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Southern Middle School	Public	6-8	400 Wilson-Downing Rd	Lexington	40517	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3582	759	56	13.6	52.6%	361 (47.6%)	184 (24.2%)	127 (16.7%)	33 (4.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	50 (6.6%)	56.1	131^st of 320 public middle schools	59.1%		34.8	217^th of 324 public middle schools	33.0%	86			38.0	49.0	38.0			55.0	58.0	46.0	34.0		47.0		44.0		57.0	$23,305	$538	$1,142	$1,680	$15,238	$2,951	$18,190
Tates Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	1105 Centre Pkwy	Lexington	40517	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-3052	767	57	13.4	57.0%	313 (40.8%)	214 (27.9%)	128 (16.7%)	48 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (8.3%)	36.6	208^th of 320 public middle schools	35.0%		39.3	193^rd of 324 public middle schools	40.4%	15			33.0	39.0	36.0			43.0	46.0	35.0	36.0		46.0		34.0		44.0	$23,083	$882	$989	$1,872	$15,567	$2,932	$18,499
Jessie M Clark Middle School	Public	6-8	3341 Clays Mill Rd	Lexington	40503	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3036	1,002	61	16.5	34.9%	620 (61.9%)	118 (11.8%)	105 (10.5%)	80 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (7.9%)	82.5	33^rd of 320 public middle schools	89.7%		83.1	31^st of 324 public middle schools	90.4%	2			55.0	60.0	59.0			66.0	64.0	65.0	42.0		55.0		57.0		63.0	$21,578	$300	$966	$1,267	$14,585	$2,840	$17,425
Morton Middle School	Public	6-8	1225 Tates Creek Pk	Lexington	40502	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3533	604	42	14.3	40.4%	349 (57.8%)	95 (15.7%)	101 (16.7%)	26 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	31 (5.1%)	79.2	39^th of 320 public middle schools	87.8%		84.5	28^th of 324 public middle schools	91.4%	11			52.0	54.0	54.0			64.0	63.0	57.0	42.0		60.0		59.0		60.0	$22,799	$468	$958	$1,425	$15,473	$2,980	$18,453
Scapa At Bluegrass	Public	4-8	400 Lafayette Pkwy	Lexington	40503	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3332	300	29	10.3	14.0%	204 (68.0%)	30 (10.0%)	14 (4.7%)	37 (12.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.7%)	99.3	2^nd of 320 public middle schools	99.4%		98.8	2^nd of 324 public middle schools	99.4%		69.0	66.0	71.0	92.0	90.0	87.0	81.0	85.0	94.0	83.0	81.0	64.0		74.0	82.0	78.0	85.0	$26,856	$287	$949	$1,237	$19,480	$3,339	$22,819
Beaumont Middle School	Public	6-8	2080 Georgian Way	Lexington	40504	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3094	743	50	14.8	33.9%	389 (52.4%)	83 (11.2%)	144 (19.4%)	82 (11.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.8%)	71.7	73^rd of 320 public middle schools	77.2%		68.7	81^st of 324 public middle schools	75.0%	8			53.0	57.0	53.0			58.0	51.0	55.0	37.0		61.0		52.0		55.0	$22,788	$292	$980	$1,273	$15,726	$2,893	$18,619
Lexington Trad Magnet School	Public, Magnet	6-8	350 N Limestone St	Lexington	40508	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(859) 381-3192	284	33	8.5	78.2%	48 (16.9%)	186 (65.5%)	28 (9.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.0%)	16.8	284^th of 320 public middle schools	11.3%		19.3	274^th of 324 public middle schools	15.4%	10				34.0	22.0			24.0	41.0	29.0	17.0		38.0		28.0		34.0	$33,178	$1,152	$1,674	$2,826	$23,441	$3,174	$26,615
Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School	Public	6-8	260 Richardson Place	Lexington	40509	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-4920	1,125	75	15.0	31.5%	649 (57.7%)	174 (15.5%)	96 (8.5%)	109 (9.7%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	93 (8.3%)	94	7^th of 320 public middle schools	97.8%		93.6	6^th of 324 public middle schools	98.1%	1			67.0	71.0	76.0			75.0	69.0	70.0	44.0		82.0		62.0		69.0	$21,152	$293	$957	$1,250	$14,083	$2,944	$17,027
Leestown Middle School	Public	6-8	2010 Leestown Rd	Lexington	40511	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-3181	1,084	75	14.4	52.6%	304 (28.0%)	294 (27.1%)	377 (34.8%)	39 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	68 (6.3%)	59.2	121^st of 320 public middle schools	62.2%		56.7	118^th of 324 public middle schools	63.6%	3			48.0	48.0	46.0			54.0	49.0	48.0	27.0		57.0		54.0		52.0	$22,326	$719	$1,043	$1,762	$14,746	$2,955	$17,701
East Jessamine Middle School	Public	6-8	901 Union Mill Rd	Nicholasville	40356	Jessamine County	Jessamine County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 885-5561	944	56	16.8	62.0%	688 (72.9%)	65 (6.9%)	115 (12.2%)	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (7.1%)	41	191^st of 320 public middle schools	40.3%		36.1	209^th of 324 public middle schools	35.5%	18			36.0	45.0	36.0			48.0	52.0	40.0	26.0		46.0		38.0		45.0	$14,167	$777	$394	$1,170	$10,026	$1,775	$11,754

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Middle School

What district is Southern Middle School in?

Fayette County

Is Southern Middle School a good school?

Southern Middle School ranks 131^st of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Southern Middle School attend?

Students who attend Southern Middle School usually go on to attend Tates Creek High School

What is the racial makeup of Southern Middle School?

Students at Southern Middle School are 48% White, 24% African American, 17% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Southern Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 759 students attended Southern Middle School.

Rate Southern Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Department 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.