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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at South Middle School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,092
Middle
DISTRICT 904 · STATE 400
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WAUKEE COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 193051002116
South Middle School
2350 SE LA Grant Parkway, Waukee, IA 50263 · (515) 987-3222 · Dallas County
GRADES 06–07MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL1,092 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
74 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 15.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
26%
279 students
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 41%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 586 | 54% |
| Grade 7 | 506 | 46% |
Student demographics
58%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
South Middle School→Timberline School
Based on grade levels within Waukee Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
84.2%
IA avg 73.6% . -0.3pp since 2023
Math
78.4%
IA avg 70.9% . +0.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 84 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 78 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 84.2% | 78.4% |
| 2023-24 | 84.5% | 78.3% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
81.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
79.2%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 81% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 79% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like South Middle School
South Middle School's state test result (81.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Middle School this school | 1,092 | 25.5% | 81.3% |
| Summit Middle School Johnston | 1,118 | 26.0% | 81.9% |
| Ames Middle School Ames | 1,033 | 31.2% | 76.6% |
| Hazel Point Intermediate School Marion | 563 | 20.4% | 83.8% |
| Oak Ridge Middle School Marion | 534 | 21.3% | 82.1% |
| Pleasant Valley Junior High School LeClaire | 940 | 9.6% | 90.5% |
Matched among Iowa middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where South Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Dallas County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 81.3% | #59 of 224 | #8 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 78.4% | #89 of 224 ▼ 6 | #8 of 10 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 84.2% | #55 of 224 ▲ 2 | #8 of 10 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,092 | #6 of 246 | #1 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #112 of 180 | #6 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 57.6% | #37 of 180 | #2 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 25.5% | #190 of 237 | #3 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +38.2% | #7 of 61 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,092
+247 (+29%) vs 2020
+46% since 2010-11, when it was 748
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 14.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,092 | 73.5 | 14.8:1 | 26% (279) |
| 2023-24 | 913 | 62.4 | 14.6:1 | 26% (236) |
| 2022-23 | 909 | 60.9 | 14.9:1 | 26% (233) |
| 2020-21 | 845 | 59 | 14.3:1 | 21% (180) |
| 2017-18 | 790 | 54.4 | 14.5:1 | 23% (181) |
| 2015-16 | 698 | 49 | 14.2:1 | 19% (135) |
| 2010-11 | 748 | 57 | 13.1:1 | 14% (108) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 38% (790 to 1,092); teachers up 35% (54.4 to 73.5).
About South Middle School
South Middle School is a high-enrollment middle school in Waukee Comm School District, located in Waukee, Iowa. Students in grades 6 through 7 attend the school, which enrolls 1,092 students. For comparison, middle schools in Iowa average about 400 students.
The Waukee Comm School District system has 19 schools and 13,917 students.
Roughly 62% of students at South Middle School are White. The rest of enrollment is 11% Asian, 10% Black, 8% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. Among all residents of Dallas County, the White share is about 84%. South Middle School's diversity index is 58%, against a US figure of 70%.
Its 73.5 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 14.8:1. For comparison, middle schools in Iowa average 15.2:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 26%.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, South Middle School would be expected to post about 79.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 81.3%.
Federal survey data for Dallas County show that the median household income is $102,379, 52% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of people live in poverty. There are 41 public schools in Dallas County, enrolling about 22,938 students in all.
The next-closest public school is Timberline School, about 0.3 miles away. South Middle School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. South Middle School ranks 3rd of 8 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 81.3% against a local average of 77.9%.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Suburb: Large, meaning it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment grew 29% from its 2020-21 level of 845.
Discussion on this page can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Dallas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
107,968
Census ACS
Median income
$102,379
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
52%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
41
22,938 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Waukee Comm School District
- Northwest High SchoolHigh · 1,574 students
- Waukee High SchoolHigh · 1,375 students
- Timberline SchoolHigh · 992 students
- Waukee Middle SchoolMiddle · 867 students
- Trailridge SchoolMiddle · 754 students
- Walnut Hills Elementary SchoolElementary · 708 students
Other schools in Waukee
- Northwest High SchoolHigh · 1,574 students
- Waukee High SchoolHigh · 1,375 students
- Timberline SchoolHigh · 992 students
- Waukee Middle SchoolMiddle · 867 students
- Trailridge SchoolMiddle · 754 students
- Waukee Elementary SchoolElementary · 706 students
Other South Middle schools
17 other US public schools in 14 states are named South Middle. South Middle School is the 2nd largest of the 18.
- South Middle SchoolEDINBURG, TX · 1,246 students
- SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOLBRENTWOOD, NY · 975 students
- SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOLNAMPA, ID · 836 students
- South Middle SchoolArlington Heights, IL · 812 students
- South MiddleEau Claire, WI · 797 students
Nearby schools
- Timberline School0.3 mi · 992
- Waukee High School1.0 mi · 1,375
- Prairieview School1.0 mi · 539
- Waukee Middle School1.3 mi · 867
- Maple Grove Elementary School1.3 mi · 577
- Sugar Creek Elementary School1.6 mi · 630
Frequently asked questions
About South Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at South Middle School?
South Middle School enrolls approximately 1,092 students in grades 06-07.
What grades does South Middle School serve?
South Middle School serves grades 06-07.
How many teachers does South Middle School have?
South Middle School employs 74 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.8:1.
What is the student diversity at South Middle School?
Student demographics at South Middle School are roughly 62% White, 8% Hispanic, 10% Black, 11% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is South Middle School public or private?
South Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Waukee Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.