SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL

SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL is a junior high of reasonably sized scale in NEWBURGH, New York, operated by NEWBURGH CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, works with 782 students in grades 6 through 8. That puts it 47% bigger than the typical public school in New York, which averages around 531 students.

Across the 12 schools in NEWBURGH CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT (10,762 students total), SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL shows that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 62% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school lists 17% Black, 13% White, 6% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 24% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL has 78 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.0:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 53% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is higher than Orange County's rate of about 44%.

After controlling for student poverty, SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 55.6%; this one comes in at 29.1%, -26.5 points off the demographic line.

Across the wider county, Orange County reports that median household income runs about $97,178, roughly 33% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. Across Orange County's 82 public schools (combined enrollment of about 57,122 students), SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

NEW WINDSOR SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks 7th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 42.0%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count showed little movement: 769 students in 2018 compared to 782 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment rose from 51% to 62% over that span.

On this page, members of the SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.