Southern Middle School

Public 5-8

931 Chestnut St
Reading, PA 19602-1958

(610) 371-5803

SchoolDigger Rank:
829^th of 893 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Students who attend Southern Middle School usually attend:

High:

Feeder schools for Southern Middle School:

Elementary:	Amanda E Stout Elementary School
	Tenth & Penn Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.7

Number of students: 759

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.8%

African American:

9.2%

White:

3.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare Southern Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Southern Middle School ranks worse than 92.8% of middle schools in Pennsylvania. It also ranks last among 5 ranked middle schools in the Reading School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 8.1. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (85.8%), African American (9.2%), White (3.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Reading School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Southern Middle School is 13.7, which is the lowest among 5 middle schools in the Reading School District! (See more...)

Compare Southern Middle School employs 55.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Southern Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Southern Middle School 829^th of 893 Pennsylvania public middle schools. (See Southern Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Disabled students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Reading School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Reading School District 569^th of 606 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Southern Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Southern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile
2003	10.32	572^nd	643	11.0%
2004	10.66	590^th	663	11.0%
2005	25.52	560^th	687	18.5%
2006	12.38	660^th	736	10.3%
2007	12.31	671^st	749	10.4%
2008	9.12	688^th	753	8.6%
2009	8.35	714^th	770	7.3%
2010	22.43	679^th	805	15.7%
2011	15.99	725^th	825	12.1%
2012	19.31	700^th	834	16.1%
2013	2.78	715^th	758	5.7%
2014	4.34	677^th	728	7.0%
2016	8.14	770^th	870	11.5%
2017	5.42	830^th	877	5.4%
2018	5.94	808^th	861	6.2%
2019	4.91	853^rd	891	4.3%
2021	8.16	741^st	797	7.0%
2022	7.82	830^th	883	6.0%
2023	8.10	829^th	893	7.2%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Southern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.10	126^th	143	11.9%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Southern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	11.69	798^th	874	8.7%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Southern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	17.32	622^nd	660	5.8%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for African American students at Southern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.27	334^th	421	20.7%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Southern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	16.61	331^st	362	8.6%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Dept of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

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Enrollment information for Southern Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	315	61	6	138	1	n/a	n/a	521
1989	361	84	10	199	1	n/a	n/a	655
1990	342	90	13	219	0	n/a	n/a	664
1991	364	100	12	272	0	n/a	n/a	748
1992	316	77	10	235	0	n/a	n/a	638
1993	295	69	9	255	0	n/a	n/a	628
1994	293	90	8	275	0	n/a	n/a	666
1995	257	80	5	298	0	n/a	n/a	640
1996	257	80	5	298	0	n/a	n/a	640
1997	257	88	7	325	0	n/a	n/a	677
1998	245	71	9	338	0	n/a	n/a	663
1999	231	88	7	345	0	n/a	n/a	671
2000	223	87	7	402	0	n/a	n/a	719
2001	201	104	6	443	1	n/a	n/a	755
2002	175	100	6	511	1	n/a	n/a	793
2003	175	100	6	511	1	n/a	n/a	793
2004	162	116	7	592	0	n/a	n/a	877
2005	147	128	4	620	0	n/a	n/a	899
2006	133	125	9	668	0	n/a	n/a	935
2007	109	103	10	543	0	n/a	n/a	765
2008	89	94	13	553	0	n/a	n/a	749
2009	83	79	7	554	1	n/a	n/a	724
2010	60	65	5	443	1	n/a	n/a	574
2011	56	82	5	473	1	0	0	617
2012	55	71	2	460	0	0	13	601
2013	47	67	4	511	0	0	11	640
2014	43	58	7	485	0	0	19	612
2015	35	59	5	453	0	0	21	573
2016	40	48	4	448	0	0	20	560
2017	46	50	3	523	2	0	25	649
2018	29	53	2	544	1	0	17	646
2019	24	48	5	496	0	0	11	584
2020	24	54	4	634	0	0	7	723
2021	25	64	4	654	0	0	8	755
2022	32	72	1	657	1	0	11	774
2023	25	70	1	651	0	0	12	759

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Southern Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	521	47.7	10.9	n/a
1989	655	54.2	12.0	n/a
1990	664	49.0	13.5	0
1991	748	55.0	13.6	n/a
1992	638	46.0	13.8	n/a
1993	628	36.0	17.4	n/a
1994	666	35.0	19.0	n/a
1995	640	38.0	16.8	n/a
1996	640	38.0	16.8	n/a
1997	677	38.0	17.8	n/a
1998	663	39.0	17.0	n/a
1999	671	41.0	16.4	n/a
2000	719	41.0	17.5	77.5
2001	755	41.0	18.4	78.4
2002	793	46.8	16.9	81.3
2003	793	46.8	16.9	81.3
2004	877	52.0	16.9	72.3
2005	899	53.1	16.9	71.7
2006	935	51.6	18.1	89.1
2007	765	42.8	17.9	86.9
2008	749	57.8	13.0	87.7
2009	724	55.5	13.0	91.9
2010	574	47.5	12.0	92.5
2011	617	47.5	12.9	90.9
2012	601	44.5	13.5	92.2
2013	640	36.0	17.7	92.7
2014	612	39.5	15.4	96.1
2015	573	38.0	15.0	99.5
2016	560	40.0	14.0	100
2017	649	35.5	18.2	100
2018	646	38.5	16.7	100
2019	584	39.5	14.7	100
2020	723	53.0	13.6	100
2021	755	55.0	13.7	99.6
2022	774	58.0	13.3	99.6
2023	759	55.3	13.7	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Southern Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	521	47.7	10.9	n/a
1989	655	54.2	12.0	n/a
1990	664	49.0	13.5	0
1991	748	55.0	13.6	n/a
1992	638	46.0	13.8	n/a
1993	628	36.0	17.4	n/a
1994	666	35.0	19.0	n/a
1995	640	38.0	16.8	n/a
1996	640	38.0	16.8	n/a
1997	677	38.0	17.8	n/a
1998	663	39.0	17.0	n/a
1999	671	41.0	16.4	n/a
2000	719	41.0	17.5	77.5
2001	755	41.0	18.4	78.4
2002	793	46.8	16.9	81.3
2003	793	46.8	16.9	81.3
2004	877	52.0	16.9	72.3
2005	899	53.1	16.9	71.7
2006	935	51.6	18.1	89.1
2007	765	42.8	17.9	86.9
2008	749	57.8	13.0	87.7
2009	724	55.5	13.0	91.9
2010	574	47.5	12.0	92.5
2011	617	47.5	12.9	90.9
2012	601	44.5	13.5	92.2
2013	640	36.0	17.7	92.7
2014	612	39.5	15.4	96.1
2015	573	38.0	15.0	99.5
2016	560	40.0	14.0	100
2017	649	35.5	18.2	100
2018	646	38.5	16.7	100
2019	584	39.5	14.7	100
2020	723	53.0	13.6	100
2021	755	55.0	13.7	99.6
2022	774	58.0	13.3	99.6
2023	759	55.3	13.7	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Southern Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,474 (10.7%)	$12,307 (89.3%)	$13,781
2020	$00 (NaN)	$00 (NaN)	$00
2021	$00 (NaN)	$00 (NaN)	$00
2022	$00 (NaN)	$00 (NaN)	$00

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Southern Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 853^rd of 891 Middle schools	Ranks 829^th of 893 Middle schools	2.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Math (Southern Middle School)	3.3	4.8	1.5%
6th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	39	36.4	2.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Southern Middle School)	20.3	17.1	3.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	63	55.6	7.4%
7th Grade Math (Southern Middle School)	5.3	3.1	2.2%
7th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	38.2	33.2	5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Southern Middle School)	12.7	13.9	1.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	60.5	54.5	6%
All Grades Math (Southern Middle School)	4.3	5.5	1.2%
All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)	42.4	39.3	3.1%
All Grades English Language Arts (Southern Middle School)	16.4	17.2	0.8%
All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	60.9	53.8	7.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	584	759	30%
African American	48	70	45.8%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	5	1	80%
Hispanic	496	651	31.3%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	24	25	4.2%
Two or More Races	11	12	9.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near Southern Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				PSSA Math (2023)					PSSA Science (2023)		PSSA English Language Arts (2023)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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 (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southern Middle School	Public	5-8	931 Chestnut St	Reading	19602	Berks County	Reading School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 371-5803	759	55	13.7	100.0%	25 (3.3%)	70 (9.2%)	651 (85.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	8.1	829^th of 893 public middle schools	7.2%		7.8	830^th of 883 public middle schools	6.0%	1	10.2	4.8	3.1	4.1	5.5	21.9	21.9	16.5	17.1	13.9	21.6	17.2	$00	$00	$00
Central Middle School	Public	5-8	215 North 12th St	Reading	19604	Berks County	Reading School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(484) 258-7365	1,865	120	15.5	100.0%	92 (4.9%)	119 (6.4%)	1,625 (87.1%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (1.3%)	9.8	801^st of 893 public middle schools	10.3%		9.3	800^th of 883 public middle schools	9.4%	1	6.9	3.1	3.6	3.0	4.1	27.3	27.3	14.3	23.3	18.1	24.8	20.3	$00	$00	$00
Southwest Middle School	Public	5-8	300 Chestnut St	Reading	19602	Berks County	Reading School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 371-5934	671	44	15.3	100.0%	31 (4.6%)	42 (6.3%)	592 (88.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	8.7	816^th of 893 public middle schools	8.6%		8.8	811^th of 883 public middle schools	8.2%	5	6.6	3.4	3.0	3.7	4.3	23.4	23.4	19.1	22.7	19.5	20.2	20.4	$00	$00	$00
West Reading Elementary Center	Public	5-6	421 Chestnut St	West Reading	19611	Berks County	Wyomissing Area School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 374-0739	297	20	14.8	41.1%	184 (62.0%)	15 (5.1%)	76 (25.6%)	8 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (4.4%)								(n/a)	57.8	51.4			54.7			69.0	68.4			68.7	$16,974	$1,159	$15,816
Northeast Middle School	Public	5-8	1216 N 13th St	Reading	19604	Berks County	Reading School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 371-5774	938	63	14.9	100.0%	46 (4.9%)	50 (5.3%)	829 (88.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.2%)	13	756^th of 893 public middle schools	15.3%		14.6	731^st of 883 public middle schools	17.2%	25	9.4	5.9	4.8	4.0	5.9	30.5	30.5	23.0	31.8	24.2	27.1	26.5	$00	$00	$00
Northwest Middle School	Public	5-8	1000 N Front St	Reading	19601	Berks County	Reading School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 371-5772	869	53	16.4	100.0%	38 (4.4%)	61 (7.0%)	760 (87.5%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)	9	810^th of 893 public middle schools	9.3%		10.6	778^th of 883 public middle schools	11.9%	32	11.6	3.3	5.6	2.7	5.8	26.0	26.0	23.1	18.4	20.4	19.9	20.4	$00	$00	$00
Intermediate School	Public	5-6	600 Governor Dr	Shillington	19607	Berks County	Governor Mifflin School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 775-5083	570	42	13.5	51.6%	315 (55.3%)	30 (5.3%)	193 (33.9%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.2%)								(n/a)	25.2	33.5			29.4			38.5	53.5			46.2	$17,223	$640	$16,583
Exeter Township Junior High School	Public	7-8	151 E 39th St	Reading	19606	Berks County	Exeter Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 779-3320	637	44	14.4	33.6%	427 (67.0%)	29 (4.6%)	141 (22.1%)	13 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.2%)	66.9	278^th of 893 public middle schools	68.9%		71.4	226^th of 883 public middle schools	74.4%	52			39.3	25.7	32.7	65.9	65.9			58.7	54.7	56.8	$17,462	$461	$17,001
Governor Mifflin Middle School	Public	7-8	130 East Lancaster Avenue	Shillington	19607	Berks County	Governor Mifflin School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 775-1465	629	43	14.8	53.6%	362 (57.6%)	24 (3.8%)	210 (33.4%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.3%)	38.1	570^th of 893 public middle schools	36.2%		41.3	545^th of 883 public middle schools	38.3%	25			21.5	16.0	18.6	49.5	49.5			44.6	40.5	42.3	$16,436	$611	$15,826
Reiffton School	Public	5-6	4355 Dunham Drive	Reading	19606	Berks County	Exeter Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(610) 779-7640	612	39	15.7	39.1%	428 (69.9%)	31 (5.1%)	119 (19.4%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.2%)								(n/a)	44.7	57.7			51.0			66.9	71.0			68.9	$16,250	$975	$15,275

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Middle School

How many students attend Southern Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 759 students attended Southern Middle School.

Is Southern Middle School a good school?

Southern Middle School ranks in the bottom 7.2% of Pennsylvania middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Southern Middle School?

Students at Southern Middle School are 86% Hispanic, 9% African American, 3% White, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Southern Middle School in?

Reading School District

What high school do graduates of Southern Middle School attend?

Students who attend Southern Middle School usually go on to attend Reading Senior High 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 Pennsylvania 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.

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