Middle Schools in Salina

The Salina area is home to two middle schools, Salina South Middle and Lakewood Middle School, both serving grades 6-8. Based on the available data, Salina South Middle appears to be the stronger-performing school, with a higher statewide ranking, better academic proficiency, and a lower student-teacher ratio compared to Lakewood Middle School.

Salina South Middle School has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger and outperformed the Salina and Kansas averages in 7th grade English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency. In contrast, Lakewood Middle School has a lower 2-star rating and underperformed the district and state averages in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. Additionally, Lakewood Middle School had a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a higher concentration of students from lower-income families.

While both schools struggled with Science proficiency, the data suggests that Salina may need to focus on improving science education across the district. The difference in per-student spending between the two schools, with Lakewood Middle School spending more, also raises questions about the efficient allocation of resources and the factors that contribute to academic success beyond just funding.