Southern Middle

Southern Middle, a moderately sized junior high in Lothian, Maryland, run under Anne Arundel County Public Schools, instructs 726 students, covering grades 6 through 8.

Across the 125 schools in Anne Arundel County Public Schools (85,029 students total), Southern Middle accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Southern Middle lists that 58% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school lists 30% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% multiracial.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 53 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 14.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 48% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Southern Middle sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 46.1%; this one delivers 38.8%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Anne Arundel County) logs that median household earnings sit near $124,911, roughly 46% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Anne Arundel County's 129 public schools (combined enrollment of about 85,074 students), Southern Middle is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Lothian Elementary, around 0.3 miles off. 5 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Southern Middle ranks 8th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 49.2%.

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

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count remained close to its prior level: 744 students in 2018 compared to 726 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 11% to 30% across the same window.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.