Salina South Middle

Located at 2015 Simmons, in Salina, Kansas, Salina South Middle is a high-enrollment middle school that serves 782 students (grades 6 through 8), one of the schools within Salina. Enrollment runs roughly 95% above the state mean of about 402.

Salina comprises 13 schools with combined enrollment of 6,441 students; Salina South Middle is among them.

In terms of who attends, Salina South Middle logs that the most-represented group is White (52%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest is composed of 33% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, 3% Asian, 2% Black. By comparison, Saline County as a whole is about 82% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, Salina South Middle has 58 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.7:1, putting Salina South Middle higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 61% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Salina South Middle tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 32.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 32.1%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Saline County indicate median household income runs about $65,422, roughly 29% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Across Saline County's 17 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,580 students), Salina South Middle is one campus in the mix.

Stewart Elem is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Salina South Middle at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 32.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 4%: 812 students in 2018 compared to 782 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 63% to 52% over that span.

On this page, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.