Enrollment
784
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Morgantown, WV
South Middle School
Federal NCES profile for South Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 540093001299
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the West Virginia median.
- #4 of 4
- middle schools in Morgantown · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- students per teacher
- 784
- students enrolled
South Middle School has class sizes near the West Virginia median. Computed live against every West Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Middle School ranks #4 of 4 middle schools in Morgantown, WV.
School address
District: Monongalia County Schools · West Virginia
NCES ID 540093001299 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.1:1 West Virginia avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Middle School compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Middle School
South Middle School is a large middle school in Morgantown, West Virginia, enrolling 784 students.
At 12.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the West Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.1:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in West Virginia, bigger than 94% of state schools at 784 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 643 scored West Virginia schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 392 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Monongalia County Schools also operates Morgantown High School (1,754 students) and University High School (1,371 students) alongside South Middle School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Middle School compares
South Middle School on the metrics families compare, against West Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 784 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
784
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 43% in West Virginia - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,751
per pupil, district-wide
- below West Virginia avg of $14,844
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 392 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 79 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 87.2%
Two or More 5.6%
African American 3.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 87.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.4, South Middle School is more mixed than the West Virginia school average of 17.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Monongalia County Schools, which includes South Middle School.
$13,751
Per student
-7%
vs West Virginia
Avg $14,844
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.4%
State 41.2%
Federal 14.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How South Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgantown High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| University High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cheat Lake Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountainview Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eastwood Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,754
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,371
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 642
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of West Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~784 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Middle School's federal record.
- Compare South Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Monongalia County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about South Middle School
How many students attend South Middle School?
South Middle School has 784 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Morgantown, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Middle School is 12.4:1, which is 5% lower than the West Virginia average of 13.1:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Middle School?
The largest demographic group at South Middle School is White at 87.2% of enrollment, in Morgantown, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Middle School?
South Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does South Middle School rank among middle schools in Morgantown?
By Resource Investment Index, South Middle School ranks #4 of 4 middle schools in Morgantown, WV. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Morgantown on the city page.
Is South Middle School a good school?
South Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the West Virginia median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Monongalia County Schools?
Besides South Middle School, Monongalia County Schools also operates Morgantown High School (1,754 students), University High School (1,371 students), and Cheat Lake Elementary School (754 students). See the Monongalia County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.