Summary:
In zip code 20711, there is one middle school, Southern Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 in Lothian, Maryland, as part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district.
Southern Middle is a school of contrasts, with a standout program in advanced mathematics. The school’s Algebra I proficiency rate is an extraordinary 88.2%, far exceeding the district average of 26.3% and the state average of 21.3%. This suggests a highly effective advanced math track, likely for 8th graders. However, overall math proficiency for all grades is just 21.4%, which is below the district (29.3%) and state (27.1%) averages. This creates a paradox: while the school excels with its top math students, general math performance is a clear area for improvement. English Language Arts is a relative strength, with 51.4% proficiency, matching the state average of 51.7%.
A concerning trend is the school’s declining performance across multiple subjects between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, including drops in math, ELA, and science proficiency, as well as a fall in its state ranking from the 67th to the 61st percentile. Despite a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.7:1 and high per-student spending of $17,906, chronic absenteeism is high at 22.2%, above the district average. This suggests that resources alone are not fully addressing student engagement or attendance issues, which may be contributing to the downward academic trend. The school’s 8th-grade math performance (17.7% proficient) is a bright spot, outperforming the district (13.3%) and state (9.6%), likely because top students are taking Algebra I, leaving a smaller group for the standard test.
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