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South Marshall Middle

Q: Is South Marshall Middle a good school?

South Marshall Middle ranks 177 th of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

177^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 Kentucky Middle Schools

Better than 45% of Kentucky middle schools

Summary

South Marshall Middle is a public middle school located in Benton, Kentucky, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 457 students. The school is part of the Marshall County School District, which is ranked 84 out of 157 districts in Kentucky and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

South Marshall Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Kentucky middle schools, ranking between 177-251 out of 320-335 schools in recent years, and maintains a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating below-average performance compared to other middle schools in the state. The school's proficiency rates in core subjects like Mathematics, Reading, and Science are consistently lower than the Marshall County and Kentucky state averages. South Marshall Middle has also experienced relatively high dropout rates and chronic absenteeism, ranging from 0.0% to 1.3% and 16.1% to 28.0%, respectively, which are significantly above the state average.

Interestingly, North Marshall Middle School, located within the same district, consistently outperforms South Marshall Middle in terms of statewide ranking, academic achievement, and student group performance. Other nearby schools, such as Mayfield Middle School, Graves County Middle School, Reidland Middle School, and Calloway County Middle School, also generally outperform South Marshall Middle across various metrics. Addressing the underlying factors, such as socioeconomic challenges and resource allocation, may be crucial in improving the school's overall performance and outcomes for its students.

432

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,018

Per pupil spending ?

60.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2211 US 641 South
Benton, KY 42025

(270) 527-3828

District: Marshall County

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.4%

Hispanic:

6.5%

Two or more races:

1.4%

See top rated Kentucky middle schools

Compare South Marshall Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2019 → 45th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg50%

Kentucky avg43%

177^th of 320

Kentucky public middle schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 20 pts since 2019

From bottom 25% (2019) to bottom 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Marshall County

84^th of 157Marshall 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	44.0	177 of 320	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	200 of 324	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	181 of 327	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	185 of 320	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.2	183 of 282	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.2	251 of 335	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	31.5	170 of 226	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	44.3	169 of 298	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	176 of 300	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.9	179 of 295	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	158 of 299	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.9	151 of 233	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	221 of 299	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	45.9	47 of 62	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	164 of 314	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.0	159 of 311	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.9	145 of 309	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.1	168 of 310	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	131 of 224	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.7	246 of 303	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	48.0	142 of 303	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.1	196 of 304	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	167 of 307	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.6	204 of 304	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.5	156 of 222	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.3	257 of 303	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	60 of 126	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.6	231 of 294	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	194 of 314	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.2	218 of 316	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.7	204 of 320	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.6	212 of 314	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.7	132 of 213	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.3	220 of 266	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)53rd percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)52nd percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)43rd percentile~ school

White (2025)38th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2019)25th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2019)24th percentile~ school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Writing59%+10 vs state

Editing and Mechanics55%+6 vs state

Reading43%-5 vs state

Mathematics40%~ state avg

Social Studies38%~ state avg

Science26%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Marshall Middle

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 4th 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
South Marshall Middle	Public	6-8	2211 US 641 South	Benton	42025	Marshall County	Marshall County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 527-3828	432	27	15.7	60.9%	395 (91.4%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	44	177^th of 320 public middle schools	44.7%		38.5	200^th of 324 public middle schools	38.3%	23			35.0	38.0	46.0			47.0	43.0	38.0		26.0		59.0		38.0		55.0	$14,018	$493	$277	$771	$9,822	$2,576	$12,398
North Marshall Middle School	Public	6-8	3111 U. S. Hwy 95	Calvert City	42029	Marshall County	Marshall County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 395-7108	487	30	16.4	51.5%	450 (92.4%)	3 (0.6%)	15 (3.1%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	74.4	60^th of 320 public middle schools	81.3%		79.4	45^th of 324 public middle schools	86.1%	15			39.0	50.0	41.0			67.0	61.0	62.0		40.0		81.0		58.0		58.0	$15,043	$679	$518	$1,197	$10,215	$2,837	$13,052
Calloway County Middle School	Public	6-8	2112 College Farm Rd	Murray	42071	Calloway County	Calloway County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 762-7355	607	38	16.1	57.2%	512 (84.3%)	11 (1.8%)	50 (8.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.1%)	74.9	59^th of 320 public middle schools	81.6%		77	49^th of 324 public middle schools	84.9%	10			50.0	61.0	48.0			54.0	60.0	52.0		45.0		68.0		52.0		58.0	$14,420	$1,348	$1,149	$2,497	$8,939	$2,062	$11,000
Murray Middle School	Public	4-8	801 Main St	Murray	42071	Calloway County	Murray Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 753-5125	645	44	14.6	47.4%	492 (76.3%)	30 (4.7%)	58 (9.0%)	17 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (7.1%)	92.5	9^th of 320 public middle schools	97.2%		87.2	22^nd of 324 public middle schools	93.2%	13	67.0	68.0	79.0	66.0	68.0	69.0	63.0		69.0	62.0	62.0	59.0	64.0	80.0	41.0	53.0	59.0	63.0	$29,939	$1,427	$498	$1,925	$18,244	$3,356	$21,600
Mayfield Middle School	Public	5-8	112 W College St	Mayfield	42066	Graves County	Mayfield Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 247-7521	559	33	16.9	67.6%	208 (37.2%)	67 (12.0%)	214 (38.3%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	62 (11.1%)	62.8	108^th of 320 public middle schools	66.3%		55.8	124^th of 324 public middle schools	61.7%	16		35.0	47.0	49.0	53.0		44.0	50.0	51.0	38.0		35.0	54.0	68.0	32.0	42.0	38.0	69.0	$26,476	$2,657	$720	$18,857	$4,329	$9,229	$26,226
Graves County Middle School	Public	7-8	625 Jimtown Rd	Mayfield	42066	Graves County	Graves County	No	No	No	No	(270) 328-4890	556	32	17.3	52.2%	465 (83.6%)	12 (2.2%)	40 (7.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	72.1	70^th of 320 public middle schools	78.1%		73.3	62^nd of 324 public middle schools	80.9%	8				50.0	48.0				63.0	53.0		32.0		67.0		50.0		57.0	$12,181	$485	$779	$1,264	$9,062	$1,854	$10,917
Reidland Middle School	Public	6-8	5351 Benton Rd	Paducah	42001	McCracken County	McCracken County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 538-4190	350	24	14.8	68.3%	275 (78.6%)	20 (5.7%)	32 (9.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.0%)	52.4	144^th of 320 public middle schools	55.0%		73.2	63^rd of 324 public middle schools	80.6%	81			42.0	39.0	46.0			50.0	56.0	46.0		23.0		55.0		43.0		56.0	$17,194	$1,172	$699	$1,823	$10,821	$2,297	$13,167

Frequently Asked Questions about South Marshall Middle

What is the racial makeup of South Marshall Middle?

Students at South Marshall Middle are 91% White, 6% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

What district is South Marshall Middle in?

Marshall County

Is South Marshall Middle a good school?

South Marshall Middle ranks 177^th of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend South Marshall Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 432 students attended South Marshall Middle.

Rate South Marshall Middle!

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Schools in Benton, KY

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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.