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South Middle

Q: Is South Middle a good school?

South Middle ranks 185 th of 438 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

185^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Missouri Middle Schools

Better than 58% of Missouri middle schools

Summary

South Middle is a public middle school located in Joplin, Missouri, serving 575 students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Joplin Schools district, which is ranked 193 out of 367 districts in the state.

Academically, South Middle consistently ranks in the top half of Missouri middle schools, typically between 165-199 out of 435-587 schools. The school's performance on MAP assessments is generally higher than the Joplin Schools district and the state of Missouri averages, particularly in Mathematics and Algebra I. For example, in 2024-2025, 40% of 6th graders at South Middle were proficient or better in MAP Mathematics, compared to 36.7% for Joplin Schools and 45.5% for Missouri. South Middle also excels in Algebra I, with 97.3% of students proficient or better in 2024-2025, compared to 46.1% for Joplin Schools and 45.4% for Missouri.

However, the school faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.3% to 25.9% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, South Middle struggles with its English Language Learner and Disabled student subgroups, ranking in the bottom half of Missouri middle schools. Compared to the other Joplin middle schools, South Middle generally outperforms them academically, but nearby schools in other districts, such as Neosho Junior High and Carl Junction Junior High, tend to outperform South Middle in several academic areas.

596

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,842

Per pupil spending ?

57.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

900 E 50th St
Joplin, MO 64802-0128

(417) 625-5250

District: Joplin Schools

Students who attend South Middle usually attend:

High:

Joplin High

Feeder schools for South Middle:

Elementary:	Irving Elementary
	Kelsey Norman Elementary
	Stapleton Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.4%

Two or more races:

12.4%

Hispanic:

8.9%

See top rated Missouri middle schools

Compare South Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2015 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Missouri median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg37%

Missouri avg41%

185^th of 438

Missouri public middle schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle Schools in the Joplin Schools

193^rd of 367Joplin Schools among Missouri 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	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	56.5	185 of 438	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	192 of 451	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.2	180 of 459	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.7	199 of 459	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.5	102 of 454	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	60.4	199 of 587	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.2	248 of 552	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.4	169 of 568	70.2%	★★★★☆
2016	59.1	165 of 435	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.3	192 of 585	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.2	308 of 633	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.4	299 of 649	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	46.6	372 of 623	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.3	373 of 625	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.1	350 of 614	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.4	331 of 601	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.6	373 of 624	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.7	378 of 624	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.3	349 of 619	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	37.4	117 of 187	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.9	135 of 195	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.7	109 of 204	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	29.9	57 of 72	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2018	31.1	92 of 104	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	67.6	94 of 369	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	56.0	145 of 378	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	105 of 382	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.3	83 of 365	77.3%	★★★★☆
2021	75.2	55 of 371	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	53.3	186 of 482	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.5	167 of 422	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2023	37.7	21 of 44	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.1	41 of 98	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.6	27 of 79	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	97 of 196	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.6	108 of 194	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.0	129 of 192	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	160 of 358	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	170 of 379	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.5	145 of 385	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	180 of 381	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.3	122 of 376	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.4	197 of 527	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	237 of 479	50.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)75th percentile+17 vs school

White (2025)55th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)52nd percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)51st percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)37th percentile-19 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)21st percentile-37 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2018)12th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I97%+52 vs state

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

Science40%~ state avg

Mathematics38%-3 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, January 20, 2012

South Middle School is an EXCELLENT school. They have a large variety of classes including some high school levels. Their teacher are very good. And South deserves a better ranking Close Quote

Schools Near South Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)					MAP Science (2025)		MAP English Language Arts (2025)					MAP Algebra I (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	MAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Middle	Public	6-8	900 E 50th St	Joplin	64802	Newton County	Joplin Schools	No	No	No	No	(417) 625-5250	596	42	14.2	57.2%	402 (67.4%)	33 (5.5%)	53 (8.9%)	13 (2.2%)	9 (1.5%)	12 (2.0%)	74 (12.4%)	56.5	185^th of 438 public middle schools	57.8%		56.4	192^nd of 451 public middle schools	57.4%	7			40.0	42.4	29.2		40.2			44.0	44.9	36.5	97.3	$10,842	$1,000	$9,842
East Middle	Public	6-8	4594 East 20th St	Joplin	64802	Jasper County	Joplin Schools	No	No	No	No	(417) 625-5280	592	41	14.3	69.9%	367 (62.0%)	20 (3.4%)	100 (16.9%)	12 (2.0%)	7 (1.2%)	18 (3.0%)	68 (11.5%)	46.5	231^st of 438 public middle schools	47.3%		47.2	238^th of 451 public middle schools	47.2%	7			39.5	37.1	24.6		37.5			34.5	37.8	37.0		$10,628	$998	$9,630
North Middle	Public	6-8	102 Gray	Joplin	64802	Jasper County	Joplin Schools	No	No	No	No	(417) 625-5270	549	44	12.4	72.9%	370 (67.4%)	28 (5.1%)	61 (11.1%)	9 (1.6%)	10 (1.8%)	16 (2.9%)	55 (10.0%)	39.6	276^th of 438 public middle schools	37.0%		33.8	302^nd of 451 public middle schools	33.0%	26			29.0	37.7	29.3		25.6			36.4	36.0	31.7		$11,220	$999	$10,221
Webb City Junior High	Public	7-8	807 W First St	Webb City	64870	Jasper County	Webb City R-Vii	No	No	No	No	(417) 673-6030	709	47	15.2	46.3%	582 (82.1%)	12 (1.7%)	58 (8.2%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	50 (7.1%)	66.8	126^th of 438 public middle schools	71.2%		73.3	95^th of 451 public middle schools	78.9%	31				54.4	32.0		41.5				44.2	46.8	96.7	$9,840	$679	$9,161
Webb City Middle	Public	5-6	603 W Aylor	Webb City	64870	Jasper County	Webb City R-Vii	No	No	No	No	(417) 673-6045	681	45	15.2	49.8%	531 (78.0%)	13 (1.9%)	64 (9.4%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	63 (9.3%)								(n/a)		40.9	62.4			48.3			48.8	47.7				$9,654	$499	$9,156
Carl Junction Intermediate	Public	4-6	206 S Roney	Carl Junction	64834	Jasper County	Carl Junction R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(417) 649-5760	769	53	14.5	39.3%	637 (82.8%)	6 (0.8%)	49 (6.4%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (8.5%)								(n/a)	38.3	35.3	66.1			53.1		56.8	55.4	55.4				$9,117	$488	$8,629
Carl Junction Junior High	Public	7-8	206 S Roney	Carl Junction	64834	Jasper County	Carl Junction R-I	No	No	No	No	(417) 649-7246	500	35	14.2	33.6%	412 (82.4%)	5 (1.0%)	32 (6.4%)	8 (1.6%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.6%)	81.9	61^st of 438 public middle schools	86.1%		78.4	73^rd of 451 public middle schools	83.8%	12				53.7	49.2		60.1				46.3	55.9		$10,466	$511	$9,955
Diamond Middle	Public	5-8	401 S Main	Diamond	64840	Newton County	Diamond R-IV	No	No	No	No	(417) 325-5336	212	14	15.5	50.5%	186 (87.7%)	3 (1.4%)	6 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	2 (0.9%)	8 (3.8%)	57.4	181^st of 438 public middle schools	58.7%		51.2	221^st of 451 public middle schools	51.0%	40		6.9	35.1	45.8	38.0	25.1	28.0		20.5	40.7	50.8			$11,558	$19	$11,540
Neosho Junior High	Public	7-8	14646 Kodiak Road	Neosho	64850	Newton County	Neosho School District	No	No	No	No	(417) 451-8660	753	50	15.0	60.0%	453 (60.2%)	3 (0.4%)	172 (22.8%)	10 (1.3%)	16 (2.1%)	46 (6.1%)	53 (7.0%)	66.6	127^th of 438 public middle schools	71.0%		58	181^st of 451 public middle schools	59.9%	54				38.4	54.3		46.6				40.8	46.0		$10,305	$296	$10,009
Middle School	Public	5-6	1400 Hale McGinty Dr	Neosho	64850	Newton County	Neosho School District	No	No	No	No	(417) 451-8650	702	52	13.4	65.4%	443 (63.1%)	4 (0.6%)	135 (19.2%)	6 (0.9%)	13 (1.9%)	49 (7.0%)	52 (7.4%)								(n/a)		25.4	40.3			33.8			40.3	31.1				$11,180	$454	$10,726

Frequently Asked Questions about South Middle

What high school do graduates of South Middle attend?

Students who attend South Middle usually go on to attend Joplin High

What district is South Middle in?

Joplin Schools

Is South Middle a good school?

South Middle ranks 185^th of 438 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Middle?

Students at South Middle are 67% White, 12% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 6% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend South Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 596 students attended South Middle.

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Schools in Joplin, MO

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