Is South Middle School a good school?

Yes. South Middle School ranks in the top 9.2% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend South Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 850 students attended South Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of South Middle School?

Students at South Middle School are 83% White, 8% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 1% Two or more races, 1% African American.

South Middle School

Summary:

South Middle School is a public middle school located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 850 students. It is part of the Arlington Heights School District 25, which is ranked 71 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and is rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

South Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Illinois, ranking 126th out of 1,363 middle schools in the state for the 2023-2024 school year. The school's performance on state assessments is significantly higher than the state and district averages, with 72.4% of all students proficient or better in ELA and 47.7% proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 63.3% and 51% in the district, and 41.2% and 28.4% statewide, respectively. South Middle School's performance is particularly strong in science, with 83.9% of students proficient or better, matching the district average and significantly exceeding the state average of 53.2%. The school's performance is consistently strong across different student subgroups, with high rankings in the state for female, male, Hispanic, and White students, as well as for Asian students and English Language Learners.

Compared to nearby schools, South Middle School outperforms Thomas Middle School, which is also part of the Arlington Heights School District 25, in both ELA and mathematics proficiency rates. Additionally, South Middle School's academic performance is significantly higher than that of River Trails Middle School and Chippewa Middle School, which are in different districts. However, some schools like Plum Grove Junior High and MacArthur Middle School also demonstrate strong academic performance, with rankings and proficiency rates comparable to South Middle School.

Detail:

Public 6-8

400 S Highland Ave
Arlington Heights, IL 60005-1868

(847) 398-4250

District: Arlington Heights School District 25

SchoolDigger Rank:
126^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,634

Feeder schools for South Middle School:

Elementary:	Dryden Elementary School
	Westgate Elementary School
	Windsor Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.5

Number of students: 850

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.8%

Hispanic:

8.5%

Asian:

5.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 16.1%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare South Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details South Middle School ranks better than 90.8% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 88.72. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at South Middle School is $17,634.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

South Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks South Middle School 126^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See South Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Arlington Heights School District 25:

SchoolDigger ranks Arlington Heights School District 25 71^st of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for South Middle School

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Rank History for all students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	86.56	109^th	1185	90.8%
2004	89.22	71^st	1204	94.1%
2005	87.41	94^th	1209	92.2%
2006	85.70	90^th	1272	92.9%
2007	87.38	56^th	1287	95.6%
2008	87.44	55^th	1293	95.7%
2009	84.62	100^th	1318	92.4%
2010	83.36	125^th	1327	90.6%
2011	81.09	172^nd	1344	87.2%
2012	83.01	147^th	1365	89.2%
2013	90.13	78^th	1367	94.3%
2014	90.50	73^rd	1322	94.5%
2015	96.79	45^th	1302	96.5%
2016	85.78	140^th	1294	89.2%
2017	90.94	87^th	1293	93.3%
2018	83.40	179^th	1293	86.2%
2019	92.92	68^th	1356	95.0%
2021	88.83	99^th	1241	92.0%
2022	88.58	115^th	1369	91.6%
2023	86.94	140^th	1367	89.8%
2024	88.72	126^th	1363	90.8%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	89.11	15^th	164	90.9%
2019	91.97	5^th	179	97.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	59.41	64^th	339	81.1%
2021	31.43	232^nd	277	16.2%
2022	90.41	8^th	454	98.2%
2023	54.13	129^th	480	73.1%
2024	41.83	241^st	486	50.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	63.88	128^th	602	78.7%
2019	72.29	106^th	792	86.6%
2021	70.17	69^th	548	87.4%
2022	70.33	96^th	781	87.7%
2023	30.29	544^th	805	32.4%
2024	81.89	101^st	802	87.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	76.49	166^th	1161	85.7%
2019	79.45	151^st	1217	87.6%
2021	83.10	75^th	1019	92.6%
2022	88.07	53^rd	1221	95.7%
2023	83.88	98^th	1234	92.1%
2024	82.05	118^th	1219	90.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	75.45	247^th	1226	79.9%
2019	92.52	59^th	1276	95.4%
2021	89.30	69^th	1017	93.2%
2022	88.04	118^th	1286	90.8%
2023	85.06	140^th	1275	89.0%
2024	87.72	120^th	1251	90.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	51.05	228^th	674	66.2%
2024	61.78	156^th	639	75.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	87.31	114^th	1223	90.7%
2019	91.91	70^th	1296	94.6%
2021	82.70	128^th	1048	87.8%
2022	86.94	120^th	1286	90.7%
2023	86.52	125^th	1292	90.3%
2024	87.59	125^th	1264	90.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	55.14	89^th	209	57.4%
2019	62.69	76^th	201	62.2%
2021	54.46	51^st	112	54.5%
2022	50.59	106^th	198	46.5%
2023	65.47	63^rd	192	67.2%
2024	54.12	90^th	184	51.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	53.35	235^th	590	60.2%
2019	58.13	220^th	639	65.6%
2021	47.64	229^th	517	55.7%
2022	66.76	145^th	662	78.1%
2023	65.55	152^nd	661	77.0%
2024	71.51	132^nd	643	79.5%

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

Rank History for White students at South Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	70.24	226^th	889	74.6%
2019	85.31	81^st	905	91.0%
2021	81.45	103^rd	813	87.3%
2022	78.63	130^th	898	85.5%
2023	75.61	168^th	895	81.2%
2024	78.68	140^th	875	84.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board 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: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for South Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	504	2	28	14	5	n/a	n/a	0	553
1989	533	2	35	12	6	n/a	n/a	0	588
1990	539	1	40	15	2	n/a	n/a	0	597
1991	568	4	43	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	630
1992	561	2	40	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	620
1993	562	1	34	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	618
1994	577	1	40	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	635
1995	575	3	32	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	632
1996	575	3	32	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	632
1997	615	4	26	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	666
1998	633	11	23	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	681
1999	670	7	42	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	740
2000	690	15	49	27	1	n/a	n/a	0	782
2001	771	16	31	33	0	n/a	n/a	0	851
2002	801	9	46	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	875
2003	801	9	46	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	875
2004	780	11	42	25	0	n/a	n/a	0	858
2005	787	11	34	30	3	n/a	n/a	0	865
2006	762	6	36	35	3	n/a	n/a	4	846
2007	785	3	34	40	3	n/a	n/a	9	874
2008	749	4	39	41	1	n/a	n/a	17	851
2009	786	7	41	42	0	n/a	n/a	27	903
2010	770	7	38	46	0	n/a	n/a	22	883
2011	774	6	39	46	0	0	26	0	891
2012	734	6	42	46	0	0	29	0	857
2013	763	11	44	50	3	0	27	0	898
2014	725	9	39	55	2	1	30	0	861
2015	723	9	39	66	1	1	28	0	867
2016	669	5	42	77	2	2	34	0	831
2017	716	6	54	79	3	0	38	0	896
2018	705	7	55	85	2	0	50	0	904
2019	703	6	45	83	2	0	40	0	879
2020	679	3	50	85	1	1	27	0	846
2021	670	10	56	80	2	3	11	0	832
2022	682	11	57	80	2	3	11	0	846
2023	704	9	50	72	3	2	10	0	850

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 South Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	553	36.0	15.3	n/a
1989	588	38.0	15.4	n/a
1990	597	39.8	15.0	n/a
1991	630	40.2	15.6	n/a
1992	620	41.3	15.0	n/a
1993	618	45.2	13.7	n/a
1994	635	46.5	13.7	n/a
1995	632	48.5	13.0	n/a
1996	632	48.5	13.0	n/a
1997	666	48.4	13.8	n/a
1998	681	51.5	13.2	n/a
1999	740	54.0	13.7	n/a
2000	782	56.0	14.0	n/a
2001	851	60.0	14.2	n/a
2002	875	67.0	13.1	6.7
2003	875	67.0	13.1	6.7
2004	858	63.5	13.5	6.9
2005	865	64.3	13.5	7.3
2006	846	63.8	13.3	7
2007	874	61.0	14.3	7.2
2008	851	54.0	15.8	7
2009	903	64.0	14.1	7.9
2010	883	63.0	14.0	10.1
2011	891	61.0	14.6	11
2012	857	61.0	14.0	10.2
2013	898	104.7	8.5	7.9
2014	861	69.9	12.3	7.1
2015	867	70.0	12.3	6.6
2016	831	68.0	12.2	7.1
2017	896	67.1	13.3	4.9
2018	904	65.7	13.7	11.1
2019	879	64.0	13.7	10.9
2020	846	63.0	13.4	10
2021	832	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	846	67.8	12.4	17.1
2023	850	67.5	12.5	16.1

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 South Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	553	36.0	15.3	n/a
1989	588	38.0	15.4	n/a
1990	597	39.8	15.0	n/a
1991	630	40.2	15.6	n/a
1992	620	41.3	15.0	n/a
1993	618	45.2	13.7	n/a
1994	635	46.5	13.7	n/a
1995	632	48.5	13.0	n/a
1996	632	48.5	13.0	n/a
1997	666	48.4	13.8	n/a
1998	681	51.5	13.2	n/a
1999	740	54.0	13.7	n/a
2000	782	56.0	14.0	n/a
2001	851	60.0	14.2	n/a
2002	875	67.0	13.1	6.7
2003	875	67.0	13.1	6.7
2004	858	63.5	13.5	6.9
2005	865	64.3	13.5	7.3
2006	846	63.8	13.3	7
2007	874	61.0	14.3	7.2
2008	851	54.0	15.8	7
2009	903	64.0	14.1	7.9
2010	883	63.0	14.0	10.1
2011	891	61.0	14.6	11
2012	857	61.0	14.0	10.2
2013	898	104.7	8.5	7.9
2014	861	69.9	12.3	7.1
2015	867	70.0	12.3	6.6
2016	831	68.0	12.2	7.1
2017	896	67.1	13.3	4.9
2018	904	65.7	13.7	11.1
2019	879	64.0	13.7	10.9
2020	846	63.0	13.4	10
2021	832	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	846	67.8	12.4	17.1
2023	850	67.5	12.5	16.1

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.

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