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Sussex Central Middle

Q: Is Sussex Central Middle a good school?

Sussex Central Middle ranks 260 th of 419 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

260^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 419 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 38% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Sussex Central Middle is a public middle school located in Sussex, Virginia, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 225 students. The school is part of the Sussex County Public Schools district, which is ranked 62 out of 129 districts in Virginia and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sussex Central Middle has shown mixed academic performance compared to the state and district averages. While the school has performed well in some subjects like Algebra I and Civics and Economics, it has struggled in others like Mathematics and English Reading. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Sussex Central Middle had 100% proficiency in Algebra I for 8th grade, compared to the state average of 91.88%. However, in Mathematics for 7th grade, the school's proficiency rate was only 32.14%, compared to the state average of 52.97%. Additionally, Sussex Central Middle has had relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.7% to 30.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and could be a contributing factor to the school's academic performance.

Compared to the nearby schools, such as Vernon Johns Middle, Southampton Middle, and J.E.J. Moore Middle, Sussex Central Middle generally performs better than Vernon Johns Middle, which is part of the lower-performing Petersburg City Public Schools district. However, it lags behind the performance of Southampton Middle and J.E.J. Moore Middle, which are part of higher-performing districts. The nearby schools also have higher spending per student and lower chronic absenteeism rates, which may contribute to their stronger academic outcomes.

238

Students ?

9.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,219

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21356 Sussex Drive
Sussex, VA 23884

(434) 246-2251

District: Sussex County Public Schools

Students who attend Sussex Central Middle usually attend:

High:

Sussex Central High

Feeder schools for Sussex Central Middle:

Elementary:

Sussex Central Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

65.5%

White:

22.7%

Hispanic:

8.4%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Sussex Central Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 52nd percentile in 2019 → 38th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 52nd-percentile peak (2019) to 38th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg62%

Virginia avg68%

260^th of 419

Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

62^nd of 129Sussex County Public Schools among Virginia 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	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	260 of 419	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.1	304 of 417	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	283 of 422	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.2	218 of 415	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.4	359 of 419	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.9	203 of 424	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.6	227 of 413	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.7	279 of 415	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.5	315 of 409	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.5	308 of 412	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	53.6	137 of 297	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.1	185 of 299	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.0	131 of 298	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	239 of 403	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.7	285 of 407	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	276 of 411	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	157 of 403	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.4	232 of 402	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	38.2	274 of 404	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.1	291 of 407	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.9	275 of 409	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	169 of 400	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.3	300 of 396	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	314 of 402	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)61st percentile+23 vs school

White (2025)58th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2025)54th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)41st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)32nd percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I100%+8 vs state

Civics and Economics80%+6 vs state

English Reading71%~ state avg

Science58%-7 vs state

Mathematics47%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sussex Central Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Geometry (2025)	SOL Algebra I (2025)		SOL Mathematics (2025)			SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)			SOL Civics and Economics (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	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sussex Central Middle	Public	6-8	21356 Sussex Drive	Sussex	23884	Sussex County	Sussex County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 246-2251	238	25	9.4	99.6%	54 (22.7%)	156 (65.5%)	20 (8.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.1%)	43.4	260^th of 419 public middle schools	37.9%		33.1	304^th of 417 public middle schools	27.1%	44			100.0	56.8	32.1	46.0	58.3	75.9	61.1	74.7	80.0	$11,219	$00	$11,219
J.E.J. Moore Middle	Public	6-8	11455 Prince George Dr	Disputanta	23842	Prince George County	Prince George County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(804) 733-2740	1,387	68	20.4	39.6%	589 (42.5%)	457 (32.9%)	220 (15.9%)	9 (0.6%)	10 (0.7%)	11 (0.8%)	91 (6.6%)	59	183^rd of 419 public middle schools	56.3%		61.8	161^st of 417 public middle schools	61.4%	22	96.3	100.0	98.0	70.5	66.4	65.5	63.4	72.0	76.8	75.3	70.5	$11,435	$401	$11,033
Southampton Middle	Public	6-8	23450 Southampton Pkwy	Courtland	23837	Southampton County	Southampton County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 653-9250	497	36	13.7	92.0%	258 (51.9%)	193 (38.8%)	18 (3.6%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.2%)	21.9	361^st of 419 public middle schools	13.8%		27.5	326^th of 417 public middle schools	21.8%	35			93.3	34.7	31.4	30.7	63.7	57.1	65.7	67.7	36.6	$7,783	$598	$7,185
Vernon Johns Middle	Public	6-8	3101 Homestead Drive	Petersburg	23805	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7020	949	61	15.5	92.4%	49 (5.2%)	785 (82.7%)	107 (11.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	2	414^th of 419 public middle schools	1.2%		4.3	408^th of 417 public middle schools	2.2%	6		93.3	62.3	31.0	11.7	14.6	30.1	42.1	30.5	36.9	40.6	$10,047	$1,490	$8,556

Frequently Asked Questions about Sussex Central Middle

What district is Sussex Central Middle in?

Sussex County Public Schools

How many students attend Sussex Central Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 238 students attended Sussex Central Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Sussex Central Middle?

Students at Sussex Central Middle are 66% African American, 23% White, 8% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Sussex Central Middle attend?

Students who attend Sussex Central Middle usually go on to attend Sussex Central High

Is Sussex Central Middle a good school?

Sussex Central Middle ranks 260^th of 419 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Sussex Central Middle!

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VAVirginia Middle School Rankings

VAVirginia District Rankings

Schools in Sussex, VA

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