Southern MS

Southern MS, a mid-sized intermediate school in Reading, Pennsylvania, operated by Reading SD, works with 661 students, covering grades 5 through 8.

Reading SD runs 19 schools in total, collectively educating 16,423 students. Southern MS is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Southern MS reports that nearly all students (86%) are Hispanic. The remainder is composed of 8% Black, 4% White. The wider county runs roughly 25% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 53 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.5:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 13.2:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 106% of students at Southern MS qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is north of Berks County's rate of about 67%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Berks County put median household earnings sit near $79,777, roughly 28% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Berks County runs 95 public schools (combined enrollment of about 62,375 students), of which Southern MS is one.

Amanda E Stout El Sch is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Southern MS has held roughly steady, going from 646 students in 2018 to 661 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 12.5:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, members of the Southern MS community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.