Is Southern Middle a good school?

Southern Middle ranks 209 th of 328 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Southern Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 430 students attended Southern Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Southern Middle?

Students at Southern Middle are 56% White, 22% African American, 12% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Southern Middle attend?

Students who attend Southern Middle usually go on to attend Calvert High

Southern Middle

Summary:

Southern Middle is a public middle school located in Lusby, Maryland, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 449. The school is part of the Calvert County Public Schools district, which is ranked 5 out of 25 in Maryland and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Southern Middle has a more diverse student population compared to nearby schools, with 22.72% African American and 9.35% Hispanic students, its academic performance is significantly lower than the district and state averages. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 9.1% of Southern Middle students were proficient or better in MCAP Mathematics, compared to 32.8% in the Calvert County Public Schools district and 24.1% statewide. Similarly, in MCAP English Language Arts, Southern Middle's proficiency rate was 37.6%, compared to 62.6% in the district and 48.4% statewide. Additionally, Southern Middle has a higher percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 42.76% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the nearby Plum Point Middle (16.05%) and Calvert Middle (32.67%).

The school's declining performance, as measured by its statewide SchoolDigger ranking, is also a concern. Southern Middle ranked 55th out of 339 Maryland middle schools in the 2013-2014 school year, but has since fallen to 209th out of 328 schools in the 2023-2024 school year, with a 2-star rating. This decline is particularly evident when compared to nearby schools in the Calvert County Public Schools district, such as Plum Point Middle, which had 37.9% of students proficient or better in MCAP Mathematics and 67.1% proficiency in MCAP English Language Arts in the 2023-2024 school year.

Detail:

Public 6-8

9615 H G Trueman Rd
Lusby, MD 20657-2804

(443) 550-9250

District: Calvert County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
209^th of 328 Maryland Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,829

Students who attend Southern Middle usually attend:

High:

Calvert High

Feeder schools for Southern Middle:

Elementary:

St Leonard Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 14.0

Number of students: 430

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.8%

African American:

21.9%

Two or more races:

12.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 47.2%

See top rated Maryland middle schools

Compare Southern Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Southern Middle ranks worse than 63.7% of middle schools in Maryland. It also ranks last among 6 ranked middle schools in the Calvert County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.82. (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

Compare Details Student population at Southern Middle is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (55.8%), African American (21.9%), two or more races (12.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 47.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Southern Middle is 14, which is the lowest among 6 middle schools in the Calvert County Public Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Southern Middle employs 30.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Southern Middle is $18,829, which is the highest among 6 middle schools in the Calvert County Public Schools District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

Southern Middle was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Southern Middle 209^th of 328 Maryland public middle schools. (See Southern Middle in the ranking list.)

Calvert County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Calvert County Public Schools 5^th of 25 Maryland school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Southern Middle

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Rank History for all students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile
2004	46.53	136^th	252	46.0%
2005	43.94	149^th	255	41.6%
2006	38.08	157^th	254	38.2%
2007	35.70	170^th	264	35.6%
2008	73.24	88^th	283	68.9%
2009	73.84	84^th	301	72.1%
2010	74.76	89^th	324	72.5%
2011	72.79	86^th	309	72.2%
2012	71.14	98^th	314	68.8%
2013	79.50	62^nd	316	80.4%
2014	82.42	55^th	339	83.8%
2015	62.61	110^th	315	65.1%
2016	57.72	113^th	314	64.0%
2017	59.13	118^th	317	62.8%
2018	56.52	133^rd	328	59.5%
2019	40.67	171^st	316	45.9%
2021	41.58	164^th	303	45.9%
2022	36.27	210^th	333	36.9%
2023	34.64	186^th	322	42.2%
2024	28.82	209^th	328	36.3%

See the entire list of Maryland Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	27.87	98^th	136	27.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	48.98	124^th	273	54.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	32.50	203^rd	303	33.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	58.38	99^th	288	65.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	28.71	198^th	259	23.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	74.51	25^th	207	87.9%

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

Rank History for White students at Southern Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	23.30	167^th	210	20.5%

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

Data source: test scores: Maryland State Department 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: Maryland State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Southern Middle

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	380	160	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	540
1990	439	154	3	1	1	n/a	n/a	598
1991	492	175	3	1	0	n/a	n/a	671
1992	561	180	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	745
1993	456	131	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	589
1994	562	145	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	710
1995	656	158	5	6	0	n/a	n/a	825
1996	656	158	5	6	0	n/a	n/a	825
1997	727	168	5	10	1	n/a	n/a	911
1998	788	175	1	18	2	n/a	n/a	984
1999	733	127	2	18	1	n/a	n/a	881
2000	757	154	6	15	1	n/a	n/a	933
2001	552	133	4	7	1	n/a	n/a	697
2002	567	139	3	7	3	n/a	n/a	719
2003	567	139	3	7	3	n/a	n/a	719
2004	510	133	3	12	4	n/a	n/a	662
2005	523	121	2	12	4	n/a	n/a	662
2006	495	123	3	8	3	n/a	n/a	632
2007	512	123	6	11	3	n/a	n/a	655
2008	447	138	8	13	0	n/a	n/a	606
2009	449	130	12	24	3	n/a	n/a	618
2010	462	116	11	21	3	n/a	n/a	613
2011	425	119	7	33	3	0	14	601
2012	399	102	3	34	2	2	20	562
2013	369	81	3	34	3	4	27	521
2014	374	81	3	30	3	2	33	526
2015	355	87	3	28	2	0	30	505
2016	331	82	4	25	1	0	33	476
2017	323	77	4	30	2	0	39	475
2018	322	66	6	33	2	0	44	473
2019	334	72	3	47	1	0	51	508
2020	315	87	4	43	0	0	46	495
2021	289	91	3	44	2	0	40	469
2022	258	90	2	46	2	0	44	442
2023	252	102	2	42	1	0	50	449
2024	240	94	2	41	0	1	52	430

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

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	540	25.6	21.0	n/a
1990	598	26.2	22.8	12.4
1991	671	32.1	20.9	11.6
1992	745	35.1	21.2	15.4
1993	589	30.7	19.2	19.5
1994	710	36.1	19.7	17.6
1995	825	39.6	20.8	18.4
1996	825	39.6	20.8	18.4
1997	911	43.5	20.9	11.1
1998	984	49.9	19.7	16.1
1999	881	50.0	17.6	15.3
2000	933	50.9	18.3	19.4
2001	697	41.6	16.8	18.1
2002	719	43.9	16.4	19.3
2003	719	43.9	16.4	19.3
2004	662	44.0	15.0	20.2
2005	662	44.0	15.0	18.4
2006	632	44.0	14.4	18
2007	655	41.0	16.0	16.8
2008	606	44.5	13.6	20.3
2009	618	42.5	14.5	21.2
2010	613	41.0	14.9	27.4
2011	601	43.1	13.9	33.9
2012	562	37.6	14.9	35.8
2013	521	37.2	13.9	32.6
2014	526	36.5	14.4	35.6
2015	505	34.0	14.8	34.9
2016	476	31.0	15.3	30
2017	475	33.0	14.3	33.5
2018	473	31.1	15.1	33
2019	508	32.0	15.8	34.4
2020	495	31.0	15.9	30.3
2021	469	34.0	13.7	39
2022	442	34.0	13.0	36.7
2023	449	32.0	14.0	42.8
2024	430	30.5	14.0	47.2

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

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	540	25.6	21.0	n/a
1990	598	26.2	22.8	12.4
1991	671	32.1	20.9	11.6
1992	745	35.1	21.2	15.4
1993	589	30.7	19.2	19.5
1994	710	36.1	19.7	17.6
1995	825	39.6	20.8	18.4
1996	825	39.6	20.8	18.4
1997	911	43.5	20.9	11.1
1998	984	49.9	19.7	16.1
1999	881	50.0	17.6	15.3
2000	933	50.9	18.3	19.4
2001	697	41.6	16.8	18.1
2002	719	43.9	16.4	19.3
2003	719	43.9	16.4	19.3
2004	662	44.0	15.0	20.2
2005	662	44.0	15.0	18.4
2006	632	44.0	14.4	18
2007	655	41.0	16.0	16.8
2008	606	44.5	13.6	20.3
2009	618	42.5	14.5	21.2
2010	613	41.0	14.9	27.4
2011	601	43.1	13.9	33.9
2012	562	37.6	14.9	35.8
2013	521	37.2	13.9	32.6
2014	526	36.5	14.4	35.6
2015	505	34.0	14.8	34.9
2016	476	31.0	15.3	30
2017	475	33.0	14.3	33.5
2018	473	31.1	15.1	33
2019	508	32.0	15.8	34.4
2020	495	31.0	15.9	30.3
2021	469	34.0	13.7	39
2022	442	34.0	13.0	36.7
2023	449	32.0	14.0	42.8
2024	430	30.5	14.0	47.2

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

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$575 (3.8%)	$14,390 (96.2%)	$14,965
2020	$756 (4.8%)	$14,835 (95.2%)	$15,590
2021	$848 (5.1%)	$15,844 (94.9%)	$16,692
2022	$1,283 (6.8%)	$17,449 (93.2%)	$18,732
2023	$1,531 (8.1%)	$17,298 (91.9%)	$18,829

Data source: Maryland Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Southern Middle

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 171^st of 316 Middle schools	Ranks 186^th of 322 Middle schools	3.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	508	449	11.6%
African American	72	102	41.7%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	3	2	33.3%
Hispanic	47	42	10.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	334	252	24.6%
Two or More Races	51	50	2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	34.4%	42.8%	8.3%

Schools Near Southern Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCAP Mathematics (2024)				MCAP English Language Arts (2024)				MCAP Algebra I (2024)	MCAP Geometry (2024)	MCAP Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southern Middle	Public	6-8	9615 H G Trueman Rd	Lusby	20657	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 550-9250	430	31	14.0	47.2%	240 (55.8%)	94 (21.9%)	41 (9.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	52 (12.1%)	28.8	209^th of 328 public middle schools	36.3%		34.6	186^th of 322 public middle schools	42.2%	23	5.5	9.9		9.1	39.7	37.0	36.1	37.6	34.2		17.9	$18,829	$1,531	$17,298
Mill Creek Middle	Public	6-8	12200 Southern Connector Blvd	Lusby	20657	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 550-9190	429	29	14.7	53.1%	267 (62.2%)	65 (15.2%)	32 (7.5%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (13.8%)	41.5	158^th of 328 public middle schools	51.8%		38.5	166^th of 322 public middle schools	48.4%	8	12.3	17.7		15.4	47.8	45.6	41.7	45.1	46.2		16.2	$18,260	$1,517	$16,743
Esperanza Middle	Public	6-8	22790 Maple Rd	Lexington Park	20653	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 863-4016	842	53	15.8	40.9%	415 (49.3%)	225 (26.7%)	78 (9.3%)	26 (3.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (11.3%)	74.2	70^th of 328 public middle schools	78.7%		73.3	67^th of 322 public middle schools	79.2%	3	30.2	35.9	21.6	34.4	57.9	56.2	49.1	54.3	73.8		35.0	$15,097	$1,542	$13,555
Leonardtown Middle	Public	6-8	24015 Point Lookout Rd	Leonardtown	20650	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 475-0230	954	55	17.3	25.9%	719 (75.4%)	90 (9.4%)	48 (5.0%)	22 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (7.8%)	83.2	45^th of 328 public middle schools	86.3%		80.6	51^st of 322 public middle schools	84.2%	6	43.7	40.1	17.1	37.8	68.6	61.4	57.4	62.4	54.0		39.4	$14,617	$1,430	$13,187
Calvert Middle	Public	6-8	655 Chesapeake Blvd	Prince Frederick	20678	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 550-8970	617	44	14.1	38.9%	356 (57.7%)	116 (18.8%)	56 (9.1%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (13.1%)	59	103^rd of 328 public middle schools	68.6%		64.5	91^st of 322 public middle schools	71.7%	12	16.6	22.7	6.1	20.9	48.1	67.8	57.9	58.2	47.7		29.1	$17,442	$1,392	$16,050
Spring Ridge Middle	Public	6-8	19856 Three Notch Rd	Lexington Park	20653	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 863-4031	960	60	16.0	60.1%	341 (35.5%)	341 (35.5%)	144 (15.0%)	24 (2.5%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	103 (10.7%)	39.3	170^th of 328 public middle schools	48.2%		49.1	132^nd of 322 public middle schools	59.0%	38	19.9	12.3	5.2	20.5	44.6	36.9	43.6	41.6	59.6	73.0	23.9	$15,367	$1,414	$13,953
Margaret Brent Middle	Public	6-8	29675 Point Lookout Rd	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 884-4635	900	53	17.1	38.7%	724 (80.4%)	67 (7.4%)	37 (4.1%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (7.3%)	68.7	79^th of 328 public middle schools	75.9%		71.5	72^nd of 322 public middle schools	77.6%	7	28.5	34.9	11.8	29.4	59.3	60.4	51.4	57.1	57.5		26.8	$14,859	$1,650	$13,209
Plum Point Middle	Public	6-8	1475 Plum Point Rd	Huntingtown	20639	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 550-9170	652	37	17.8	18.9%	462 (70.9%)	63 (9.7%)	52 (8.0%)	14 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.4%)	84.2	43^rd of 328 public middle schools	86.9%		89.4	23^rd of 322 public middle schools	92.9%	20	40.0	31.3	18.9	37.9	66.5	63.3	71.8	67.1	68.4	60.0	38.5	$15,848	$951	$14,897

Southern Middle

Calvert County Public Schools:

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Rank History for Southern Middle

Rank History for all students at Southern Middle

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Southern Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Southern Middle

Rank History for Female students at Southern Middle

Rank History for Male students at Southern Middle

Rank History for African American students at Southern Middle

Rank History for Hispanic students at Southern Middle

Rank History for White students at Southern Middle

Review counts

Enrollment information for Southern Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Southern Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Southern Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Southern Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Southern Middle

Rankings

Student Body

Schools Near Southern Middle

Southern Middle

Mill Creek Middle

Esperanza Middle

Leonardtown Middle

Calvert Middle

Spring Ridge Middle

Margaret Brent Middle

Plum Point Middle

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